The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-15
CHAPTER I.
THE LATE MIR sKAGGs.

|1HE death of Taswen Skaggs was stimulating, to say the least, in-
 applicable though the expres- - sion may seem. He attained the end of hale old age by tumbling aimlessly into the mouth of a crater on the island of Japat, somewhere in the mysterious south seas. The world had quite thoroughly forgotten him during the twenty odd years immediately pre- ceding his death. It was, however, noticeably worth while to remember him at this particular time. He left last will and testament that bade fair to distress as well as startle a great many people on both sides of the Atlantic.
 In Boston the law firm of Bowen & Hare was puzzling itself beyond reason in the effort to anticipate and circum- vent the plans of the firm of Bosworth, Newnes & Grapewin, London. B. C., while on the other side of the Atlantic Messrs. Bosworth, Newnes & Grape win were blindly struggling to do pre- cisely the same thing in relation to Messrs. Bowen & Hare.
 Without seeking to further involve myself I shall at once conduct the reader to the nearest of these law of fees.
 Pretty badly tangled, declare" said MT. Hare, staring helplessly at his senior partner.
 "Hopelessly," agreed MT: Bowen, very much as if he had at first intend ed to groan.
 Before them on the table lay the con- tents of bulky envelope, a long and stupendous letter from their London correspondents and with it a copy of Taswell Skaggs' will. MT. Bowen re- gently had been named as joint execu- tor of the will, together with Sir John Allencrombie of London, w. O., one time neighbor of the late MT. Skaggs. A long and exasperating cablegram had touched somewhat irresolutely upon the terms of the will, besides sided in Boston. He was instructed fortune.
 There was one very important, per haps imposing, feature in connection with the old gentleman's will-he was decidedly sound of mind and body when it was uttered.
 When such astute lawyers as Bowen & Hare give up to amazement, the usual forerunner of consternation, it is high time to regard the case as star ting.
 Read it t'again, Bowen"
 '"The wilI?'
 "No; the letter."
 Whereupon MT. Bowen again read aloud the letter from Bosworth, Newnes & Grapewin, this time slow ly and speculatively.
 ""They seem as much upset by the situation as we," he observed refiec- lively.
 Extraordinary state of affairs, must say"
 And I don't know what to do about it. I don't even know how to begin. They're both married"
 And not to each other"
 "She's the wife of Lord knows what of lord, and he's married to an fine girl, they say, not the fact that she has larger social aspirations than he has means"
 And if that all important clause in the will is not carried out to the let ter the whole fortune goes to the bow wows.''
 Practically the same thing. He calls them 'natives;' that's all. It looks to me as though the bowwows will get the old mans millions. I don't see how anything short of Prov idence can alter the situation"
 "Thank heaven, Bowen, he names you as eXecutor, not me-"
 ''I shall decline to serve. It's an situation, Hare. In the first place, Skaggs was not an 1nti- mate friend of mine. I met him in Constantinople five years ago and aft erward handled some business for him in New York. He had no right to impose upon me as if''-
 "But why should you hesitate? You have only to wait for the year to roll by and then turn your troubles over to the natives. Young Browne can't
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