The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-09
COPYRIGHT 1907, BY IRVING klNa ALL RGhTs RT5LRyED

| lie must put stop 10 that sort UT
 thing, Lady Mason" Sir Peregrine an-
 nounced, "or he will soon ruin him.
 self. He would better come and dine
 with me and we will have 1t cut after I dinner"
 So Lucius did dine with Sir Pere-
 grine. and after dinner, when the baro-
 net introduced the subject of farming,
 the young man quite swamped him by
 flood of theory and scientific batter
 flowing unstrained from the wide open
 sluice gates of the German universities. L SThat young man is the most con-
 ceited puppy 1t has even been my lot
 to meet" said Sir Peregrine afterward.
 To his mother, when she intimated that
 experimental farming should only be
 attempted by men of large capital,
 Lucius had replied: Capital is a | needed is thought, brains. mind, com | bination, knowledge" Who could
 answer such a convincing argument | as this?
 Sir Peregrine might swear. Lady | Mason could only sigh. But Mir.
 Dockwrath. the attorney in the neigh l boring town of Hamworth, with a wife | and sixteen children. was moved to
 action when the two fields which he
 had held under lease were taken away l from him. He had married Miriam |
 Josephs attorney, and with her had taken a legacy of two thousand pounds
 that had been bequeathed to the girl | in that same famous codicil. Sir | Joseph had often said that he intended l to provide for Miriam, and the codicil l had made the bequest to her charge | able on property which otherwise | would have gone to Lady Mason. That had been one of the points in the case for the defense. If Lady Mason had forged the codfcil she would have de- prived herself of two thousand pounds
 Lady Mason had wanted Miriam to marry the clerk, Kennedy, instead of the attorney with a shady reputation, and Dockwrath knew 1t and hated her. When the fields were taken away from him he began eagerly to go through his late father-tn-iaw's papers He emerged from the examination malici- ously exultant and hurried down to Groby Park to see Joseph Mason. Esq. Dockwrath had discovered that on July IA, the very date borne by the codicil Sir Joseph Mad signed deed of separation pertaining to his London l commercial house, and the maid and the clerk had witnessed it. At the trial neither of them had mentioned having witnessed two documents on that date.
 This original deed was in existence in the hands of Sir Joseph's former partner If the clerk and the maid had witnessed only one document on July IA. it must have been this deed, and the codicil must have been forgery MT. Dockwrath had sounded them, and they were sure that they had signed only one document.
 For twenty years she had robbed mel" exclaimed Joseph Mason of Groby Park and let slip an oath or two No punishment will be bad enough for her. They ought to hang her"
 "They cant hang her." said MT Dockwrath.
 NO" replied Joseph they have altered the laws so as to give encour- agement to forgers, villains and per turers. But they can give her penal servitude for life"
 MT. Dockwrath wanted naturally, to be MT. Mason's legal representative Tn the matter: but MT. Mason was cautl- ous and insisted that the attorney hand over his information 10 ms regular legal advisers. Round& Crook, most respectable attorneys, who would not touch such a creature as Dockwrath with a ten-foot pole. After much haesling and a promise that he should he recompensed for his work, the Ham worth lawyer went up to London 10 see Round 8ssCrook Meantime Miriam had slipped over to CiieS a., told Lady Mason of her husband sinister designs. Lady Mason took counsel with her attorney. MT. Fur nival--and with Sir Peregrine' or course.
 Lady Mason was both interesting aE1 comedy in her grief in spite Of her forty seven years. Above the medium height. her eyes were large ana well formed though a trifle cold In ex- foh what narrow forehead gave evldence of an intellect which those who Knew her were always ready to acknowledge: Her color could still come and her hano was still soft and small her halr stlll brown and smooth. There were no wrinkles in her brow though care naa nassed over it: her step could still tall lightly thought 1t had borne hedNy weight of trouble
 The great MT. Furnival left a very n1easant house party to come to Lon don and meet Lady Mason Ihe great MT. Furnival had been hard-worKlhg, modest living attorney in his tlme' put in his age and his prosperity hao ue- veloped into a Lothario with port wine nose. who spent as little time as nossible at home His wife. who had not developed at all since those days of poverty and work, was moroloiy jealous of him which, of course, maoe matters worse. ,- xo.
 MT. Furnival comforted his tair client. He thought there would De no suit. but if there was he would stan. by her. But. tell me- Lady Mason. said he, why are you so much out of heart? I hemember well how brave you were twenty years ago when there really was cause for tremo- ling" .,.Ao,- har ladyship. -,,.s
 50 the almanac tells me- replied he eallantlyS but if the almanac dld not tell me I should never know 1t.
 After she had gone. MT. Furn1val sat thinking how comedy she was and how intelligent But by degrees he ceased in think of the woman and considered onIv the client. What was the real truth of all this? Was it possible that she should be so much distressed because an attorney had found some old naners and gone with them to Grooy Park? Could it be possible that she' soft beautiful, graceful as she now was all but girl as she had been then, couId have sat down in the middle of the night with her dying husband on one side and her baby on the other, to S6rpe that codicil. and done 1t with a skiI that had withstood the fierce test of the famous trial? How terrible