, 1905-10-18

up to II his listener eager, and again
to find him grown Indifferent. He won
dered dimly if this were a pose.
In brief, the last will of James T.
Sedgwick ~bequeathed everything. real
and personal, of which he died pos
sessed to his only nephew, Montgomery
Brewster of New York, son of Robert
and Louise Sedgwick Brewster. Sup
plementing this all important clause
there was n set of conditions govern
ing the final disposition of the estate.
The most extraordinary of these con-
ditlons vas the one which required
the heir to be absolutely penniless upon
the twenty-sixth anniversary of his
birth, Sept. %.
h instrument went into detail in
respect to this supreme condition. 1t
set forth hat Montgomery Brewster
was to have no other worldly posses
sion than the clothes which covered
him on the September day named. He
was to begin that day without n penny
to his name. without a single article
of Jewelry, furniture or finance that
he could call his own or could there
after reclaim. At 8 O'clock, New York
time, on the morning of Sept. % the
executor, under the provisions of the
to Montgomery Brewster all Of the
moneys, lands, bonds and interests
mentioned In the inventory which ac-
companied the will. In the event that
Montgomery Brewster had not In every
particular complied with the require
ments of the will to the full satisfac-
ton of the said executor, Swearengen
Jones, the estate was to be distributed
among certain institutions of charity
designated in the instrument. Under
lying this imperative injunction of
James Sedgwick was plainly discerni-
BILE the motive that prompted it. In
almost so many words he declared that
his heir should not receive the fortune
If he possessed a single penny that had
come to him in any shape or form
from the man he hated, Edwin Peter
Brewster. While Sedgwick could not
have known at the time of his death
that the banker had bequeathed ST.
100000 to his grandson, 1t was more
than apparent hat he expected the
young man to be enriched literally by
his enemy. 1t was to preclude any
possible chance Of the mingling of his
fortune with the smallest portion of
Edwin P. Brewster's that James Sedg-
wick on his deathbed put his hand to
this astonishing instrument.
Thara urOs alQn a nlQIIGn In which no
undertook to dictate the conduct of
Montgomery Brewster during the year
leading up to his twenty-sixth anniver-
sary. He required that the young man
should give satisfactory evidence TO
the executor that he was capable OF
managing his affairs shrewdly and
wisely; that he possessed the ability
to add to the fortune through his own
enterprise: that he should come to his
twenty-siXth anniversary with n fair
name and a record free from anything
worse than mild forms of dissipation;
that his habits be temperate; that he
possess nothing at the end of the year
which might be regarded us a visible
or invisible asset" that he make no
GlluON llltHlS, ina hC SlNt Sldl liSly ~
charity; that he neither lend nor give
away money, for fear that 1t might be
restored to him later; that he live on
the principle which inspires Il man to
"get his moneys WORTH be the eX-
penditure great or small. AS these
conditions were prescribed for but a
single year In the life of the heir, it
was evident that Mr.. Sedgwick did not
intend to impose any restrictions after
the property had gone into his hands.
How do you like it?' asked Mr..
Grant as he passed the will to Brew
ster.
The latter took the paper and glanced
over 1t with the air of II who had
heard but had not fully grasped its
meaning.
at must he q joke, Mr.. Grant" he
said, still cropping with difficulty
through the fog.
mo, Mr.. Brewster, 1t Is absolutely
genuine. Here is a telegram from the
probate court In Sedgwick's home coun-
ty, received in response to a query
from us. 1t says that the will is to
be filed for probate and that Mr.. Sedg-
wick was many times a millionaire.
This statement, which he calls an in,
ventory, enumerates his holdings and
their value, and the footing shows &c.
$4,000 in round numbers. The invest
ments, you see, are gilt edged. There
is not a bad penny in all those mil
lions"
"Well, 1t is rather staggering, isn't
it?" said Montgomery, passing his hand
over his forehead. He was beginning