Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-05-09

The lawyer arose. He locked tina door
and looked out of the window. Then
he said:
Miranda, you must not be foolish.
Now please not to interrupt me once;
but ask your questions afterwards. To
begin at the very beginning, you will do
me the justice to remember that I have
worked very hard for my living. And |
have prospered well, Miranda, having
you as both the foundation and the
crown of my prosperity; was perfectly
satisfied, as you know, living quite up
to my wishes, and putting a little cash
by every year of our lives. and paying
or heavy life insurance, in case of my
own life dropping-for the sake Of you
and Christopher You know all that?'
Darling Luke. | do. But you make
me cry when you talk like that
VERY WELL That is as it should be.
We were as happy as need be expected,
until the great wrong befell us-the fierce
injustice of losing every farthing to
which we were clearly entitled You
were the proper successor to all the prop
erty of old hermitage. That old cur
mudgeon and wholesale poisoner of the
university made fool of himself, to-
wares his latter end, by marrying Miss
Oslander. Old Black-Strap, as of course
we know had no other motive for doing
such a thing, except his low ambition to
be connected with a good old family.
Ever since he began life as a bottle boy
in the cellars of old Jerry Pigaud--"
He never did that. Luke. How can
you speak so of my fathers own first
cousin? He was an extremely respecta-
BILE young man; my father always said
So"
while he was making his money, Mi
randa, of course he was respectable. And
| everybody respected him, as soon as he
had made it. However, 1 have not the
smallest intention of reproaching the poor
old villain. He acted according to his
| lights. and they led him very badly. A
| foolish ambition induced him to marry
that pompous old maid Joan Oglander,
who had been Tilted by Commodore
Patea, the son of the famous captain.
We all know what followed; the old man
was bue doll in the hands of his lady
wife He left all the scrapings of his
life for her to do what she pleased with
at least, everybody supposes So"
What do you mean, Luke?' asked
Mrs. Sharp. having inkling of legal sur
prises. DO you mean that there is a
later will? Has he done justice TO me,
after all?'
mo. my dear He never saved his
soul by attending to his own kindred.
But he just had the sense to make lit
tie change at last, when his wife would
not come near him. You know what he
died of. 1t was coming on for weeks;
though at last it struck him suddenly.
The port wine fungus of his old vaults
grew into his lungs and stopped them.
1t had shown for some time in his face
and throat and his wife was afraid of
catching il. She took it to be some
infectious fever. of which she is always
terribly afraid. The old man knew that
his time was short: but take to his bed
he would not. OF all born men the
most stubborn he was. as any man must
be, to get on well. If l am to die of
The fungus he said, Il will have a little
more of it, And he went and with his
own hands hunted up a magnum of port,
which had been laid by from the vintage
of HAS, in the first days of jerry Pr
gaud. But before that. he had sent for
me; and was there when he opened it. -"
Luke, you take my breath away.
Such wonderful things 1 have never
heard, At least, not in our own fam
| lily"
"Of course. my dear. We all accept
wonders with quietude, till they come
home to US. Wen. when he fetched out
this old bottle. it was fungus inside from
heel TO neck. He held it up against the
light. and the glass being whittier than
row they make and the wine gone almost
white with age. there you could sec this
extraordinary growth. like cords in the
bottle, and valves across it. and long
yellow sheath like crocus-hOwer. l had
never seen anything like it before; but
lie knew all about IT, "Ah, l know 4
gentleman" he grnnted in his throat
he never could say gentleman as you
remember-'a gentleman as would give a
hundred guineas for this here bottle
bubbles, he shouldn't have II for thou
sand. My boy. you and | will drink it.
Say no. and I'll cut OF your wife with
a halfpenny' Miranda, what could / dc
but try TO humor him 10 the utm0Sts And
, really it was more like eating than drink
ing wine for all the body was gone into
! the fungus. Master stuff | never tasted
! but, luckily. he took the hons shore.
! Now, bubbles. III tell you a secret,