Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-03-02

CHAPTER I.

chickering's letter bringing news of
my grandfather's death found me at
Naples early in October. John
Marshall GIenarm had died in June,
leaving a will which gave me his prop
erty conditionally Pickering wrote,
and it was necessary for me to return
Immediately to qualify as legatee. 1t
was by the merest luck that the letter
came to my hands at all. for it had
been sent to Constantinople, in care
of the consuI-general instead of my
banker there, and it was not Picker
ings fault that the consul was friend
of mine who kept track of my wander
ings and was able to hurry the execu-
tors letter after me to Italy, where
L had gone to meet an English finan-
cier who had, l was advised, unlimited
money to spend on African railways
I am an engineer, a graduate of an
American institution Familiarity known
as THE Tech" and as my funds were
running low 1 naturally turned to my
profession for employment.
But this letter changed my plans,
and the following day / cabled Pick
ering of my departure and was out
ward bound on a steamer for New
York. Fourteen days later / sat in
chickering's Office in the Alexis Build
ing anu uSJ0Q6Q Willie ne
read, with much ponderous emphasis,
the provisions of my grandfather's
will. When he concluded l laughed
Pickering was serious man, and I
was glad to see that my levity panied
him. / had, for that matter, always
been source of annoyance to him,
and his look of distrust and rebuke
did not trouble me in the least.
/ reached across the table for the
paper, and he gave the sealed and be-
ribDoned copy of John Marshall Glen
arms will into my hands. I read it
through for myself, feeling conscious
meanwhile that chickering's cool gaze
was bent inquiringly upon me. These
are the paragraphs that interested me
most:
Il give and devise unto my said
grandson. John GIenarm, sometime a
resident of the city and state of New
York, and later vagabond of parts
unknown, certain property known as
Glenarm House, with the lands and
Entertainments thereunto pertaining
and hereinafter more particularly de-
scribed, and all personal effects, goods
and other property that may be
located in the premises and on the
land herein described,-the said realty
lying in the county of Wabana in the
state of Indiana,-upon this condition,
faithfully and honestly performed:
THAT said John Glenarm shall re-
main an occupant of said Glenarm
House and of my lands appurtenant
thereto, demeaning himself meanwhile
in an orderly and temperate manner
Should he fail at any time during said
year to comply with this provision,
said property shall at once revert to
estate shall hacOnoo with
out reservation and without necessity
for any process of law the property,
alb solutely, of Marian Devereux. of the
county and state of New York"
Well" he demanded, striking his
hands upon the arms of his chair,
what do you think of it?''
For the life of me l could not help
laughing again. There was, in the
first place, delicious irony in the
fact that l should learn through him
OF my grandfather's wishes with re
spcct to myself. Pickering and 1 had
grown up in the same town in Yer
mont; we had attended the same pre-
paratory school, but there had been
from boyhood certain antagonism
between US. He had always succeeded
where failed, which is to say, must
admit, that he had succeeded pretty
frequently. When I refused to settle
down tp my profession, but chose to
see something of the world first, Pick
-ering gave himself seriously to the
law, and there was, knew from the
beginning. no manner of chance that
he would fail.
/ am not more or less than human
and / remembered with joy that once
had thrashed him soundly at the
prep school for bullying smaller boy
but our score from school days was
not without tallies on his side. He
was easily the better scholar grant
him that: and he was shrewd and
plausible You never quite knew the
extent of his powers and resources,
and he had, 1 always maintained, the
most amazing good luck.-as witness
the fact that John Marshall GleEarm
had taken a friendly interest in him.
1t was wholly like my grandfather
who was a man of many whims. to
give his affairs into Pickering's keep
ing; and I could not complain, for /
had missed my own chance with him
1t was, knew readily enough, part of
my punishment for having succeeded
SO signally in mourning my grand
fathers displeasure that he had made
dt necessary for me to t-eat with
Arthur Pickering in this matter of the
will; and Pickering was enjoying the
situation to the full.
Rs,t tforr woc SON, al hipc p.,f wI<,11v