Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1903-12-31
CHAPTER IN.

John T. Wright left no will, and
the settlement of his estate became
involved ut once in difficulties that
were never anticipated by his family.
1t had never been happy family
for the reason that Wright was
cold, austere man, who long ago had
hapished anything like tenderness
from his heart. His family were to
him merely a part of his establish
ment. They wer:, he knew, against
him in the quarrel with Herbert, and
he would never permit them to men,
ton the name of his son, while he
made it impossible fnr them to aid
the young man in MS pecuniary dis
tress. Mrs. Wright's life did not diff
fer very materially from that of
captive who has lived in comfortable
quarters aid had all that could be
wished in the way of clothing and
food. Such a thing as amusement
never entered her thoughts. AS for
Miriam, her life was deeply embit-
tered. Her sympathy for her mother
had made her almost hate her father,
and her breast was filed with rebel
instincts only awaiting favorable
opportunity TO break forth; but the
opportunity never came. Her father
always treated her as If what she
thought was of absolutely no conse-
uuence; and as for what she should
do, he would determine that. No
doubt the time would have come
when Miriam would have FLASHED with
her stern father, and as it was the
dearest wish of her heart to do so,
it is not unlikely that she would
have come out victorious.
Such was the deadening, soul-de-
stroying influence exerted by John
Z. Wright on his family and all those
associated with him in business.
The day after the events described
in the foregoing chapter Mrs. Wright,
gentle, elderly lady, on whom sor-
row had set its seal, and her daugh-
ter Miriam, were in consultation at
the Wright place with their lawyer.
John w. Everett, regarding the con-
dition of the estate.
Lawyer Everett was n vigorous,
brainy man about As years of age. A
clean shaver face, conspicuously firm
in its outlines, cold, resolute blue
eve, and a contour Of head which
phrenologically considered indicated
ideality as well as perspicacity, were
the salient physiognomical features
of a man who in his day was cele-
brity in his part OF the country.
There was the fullness under the eyes
that denotes oratory, and in his case
the sign was prominently true. The
uprightness of his character was no
less conspicuous than the directness
of his intellect. In short, he was
lust the sort of adviser needed by
Mrs. Wright and her daughter in the
emergency that now presented itself.
These ladies had an unconquerable
repu2nance to Wright's lifelong le-
gal adviser, Col. Franklin, because in
some way he seemed to be identified
with the flintiness which was the
leading characteristic of the muir
dered man, and neither had any de-
sire to employ as their lawyer so
intimate q friend of Wright as Frank
lin had been.
The consultation being held
was not the informal business affair
which the ladies had anticipated. It
grew more and more startling as the
lawyer proceeded to unfold what he
had discovered. The public impress
sion was that Wright was q very
wealthy man, and his wife and daugh-
ter shared in this impression; how
thoroughly everybody had been de-
ceived Lawyer Everett was now max
ing clear.
ST have examined all of Mr..
wright's papers," said the lawyer,
"and / was never more astonished in
my life. You are, presume, under
the impression that he left q great
fortune"