Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-03-08
DLSHLUSIONMENT
OF THE DOCTOR

| know"
The envelope was addressed to Mr..
Denyer, and without hesitation the doc
tor opened it. 1t contained a note
from Miss Prendergast, inclosing her
will. 1t was not signed-she wished
some minor alterations to be made in
it. But it was the will itself that in
/ terested the DOCTOR
He hastily ran his eye over 1t, and
found that to his surprise Miss Prem
dergast was leaving nearly all her
money to medical charities, and Doro-
thy was to receive an annuity of hun
dred and twenty pounds a~year.
'The willis not signed" the doctor
muttered to himself, land If it was a
new will can be made any day. For
that matter, the day she is married it
is SO much waste paper"
He quietly replaced the will and let
ter in the envelope, and turned to his
patient. The medicines he sent in
were as effectual as they had always
proved, and in less than week Law
yer Denyer, as the country people call
ed him, was as well as ever.
Some months passed and not week
went by without Harry Lawrence
pressing his sweetheart to throw pru
dence to the winds and marry him out
Of hand.
During that period, also, the atten-
tons paid to the aunt by his profess
sional rival became rather marked, but
everybody thought the idea Of match
between them too ridiculous to be wor-
thy Of serious consideration.
Harry at last became so importunate
that Dolly yielded; only she stipulated
that, as she could not hope to obtain
her aunt's consent, the marriage must
be as private as circumstances would
permit. To this, Of course, the young
man readily assented.
1t was a quarter to eight on cold
winters morning when Dolly slipped
out Of her room and paused at the door
of her aunt's bedroom, with the inten-
ton Of slipping in and bidding her a
silent adleu.
To her surprise the room was empty.
Yet the bed had been slept in, and
there was nothing that suggested that
anything unusual or disastrous had oc-
Cured. Dolly would have stayed to in
vestigate, but she heard the impatient
footsteps Of her lover on the gravel
outside, and she fastened to join him.
"Oh, she will be all right" said
Harry. "Well see about her after
ward. hope to goodness, though, she
hasn't gone to the church to try to stop
our wedding"
On the way they met no one, but
the low stone building was lighted up,
and in the church porch they met Miss
Matilda Prendergast, with DR.. Maloney
by her side.
The four stared at one another for
some seconds in silence. Then the eld-
er lady, with pretty shyness, advanc-
ed her withered cheek to her niece,
saying: kiss me, my dear, and wish
me joy. We have just been married"
Just then an urgent message arrived
from the vicar, who was both cold and
hungry, and the Junior pair proceeded
into the church and walked up to the
, altar.
In less than month both couples
had returned from their respective
honeymoons, and then Lawyer Denyer
, had the satisfaction Of firing bomb
shell which had the effect Of destroy
ing DR.. Maloney's matrimonial happi.
ness forever.
Miss Prendergast, he said, derived
, her property from a will Of her father
+ made many years before, when she,
then a giddy young thing Of romantic
, tendencies, was In danger Of making
: an extremely undesirable match. II
, provided that his daughter should in.
herit his property, subject to the pro.
vision that If she should at any time
marry without the consent of certain
!, trustees the property should go to the
children Of his brother Stephen, OF
whom only Dorothy now survived.
AS the trustees were all long since
dead it had not occurred to the elderly
bride that she ran any risk Of losing
her money by marrying without legal
advice. But fresh trustees had beer
:. appointed, and their consent, it seemed,
: was absolutely necessary, If the condi
: lions on which the property was hello
. by Miss Prendergast were to be full
!. filled. AS matters stood, she had moth
: ing beyond any allowance her niece
. might be disposed to make to her.
DR.. Maloney was beside himself will
:, rage, quarreled with his wife on tn.
ground that she had swindled him, ant
with Mr.. Denyer on the ground that h
. had cozened him, and threatened al
? manner Of legal proceedings.
Il allowed you to deceive yourself
my good sir" said the lawyer blandly
when you insisted on poking you
= nose into matters you had no bushes
to pry into. I shall be delighted to &C
. cept service Of any number Of writ
!, your attorney may be fool enough t
4 apply for. l may tell you one thing
however, and that Is that | will Sc
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