Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-09-03


don't see how anything short of Prov
idence can alter the situation"
''Thank heaven, Bowen, he anne
you as executor, not me-"
81 shall decline to serve. It's an
impossible situation, Hare. In the
first place, Skaggs was not an init
mate friend of mine. l 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
marry Miss Ruthven inside of a year
simply because there is no Miss Ruth
ven. She's Lady-Lady-whats the
name?"
"Deppingham."
"And Browne already has n Mrs.
Browne to his credit, don't you see.
We'll, that settles ii, I'd say. It's hard
ly probable that Browne will murder or
divorce his wife, nor is it likely that
her ladyship would have the courage
to dispose of her incumbrance in either
way on such short notice"
"But 1t means millions to them,
Hare"
THAT'S their unfortunate lookout.
You are to act as an executor, not as a
matrimonial agent"
"But, man, it's an outrage to give all
of 1t to those wretched islanders. Bos-
worth says that rubies and sapphires
grow there like mushrooms"
"Bosworth also says that the island
ers are thrifty, intelligent and will fight
for their rights. There are lawyers
among them, he says, as well as jewel
diggers and fishermen"
"Skaggs and Lady Deppingham's
grandfather were the only white men
who ever lived there long enough to
find out what the island had stored up
for civilization. That's why they bought
1t outright, but I'm hanged If l can see
why he wants to give it back to the
-nattrpe, &c.
Perhaps he owes it to them. He
doubtless bought it for a song, and,
contrary to all human belief, he may
have resurrected a conscience. Any
how, there remains a chance for the
heirs to break the WILL"
1T can't be done, Hare; it can't be
done. It's as clean an instrument as
ever survived a man."
1t is by this time safe for the reader
to assume that Mr.. Taswell Skaggs
had been a rich man and therefore
privileged to be eccentric. He came Of
a sound old country family in upper
England, but seems to have married a
bit above his station. His wife was serv-
ing as governess in the home of a GER
tain earl when Taswell won her heart
and dragged her from the exalted posi-
ton of mindlng other peoples children
into the less conspicuous n of caring
for her own.
Their only son was killed by a rum
away horse when he was twenty, and
their daughter became the wife of an
American named Browne when she
was scarcely out of her teens. 1t was
then that Mr.. Skaggs, practically child
less, determined to make himself wife
less as well.
He magnanimously decided the I'M
entailed farm to his wife, turned his
securities into cash and then set forth
upon a voyage of exploration. 1t is
common history that upon one dark,
still night In December he said goodby
forever to the farm and its mistress,
but it is doubtful If either of them
heard him.
To be "jolly well even" with him
Mrs. Skaggs did a most priggish thing.
She died six months later, but before
doing so she made a will in which she
left the entire estate to her daughter,
effectually depriving the absent hus-
band Of any chance to reclaim his
own.
Taswell Skaggs was in Shanghai
when he heard the news. 1t was on a
Friday. His informant was that erst-
while friend Jack Wyckholme. Nat
urally Skaggs felt deeply aggrieved
with the fate which permitted him to
capitulate when unconditional surren-
der was so close at hand. His Ian
guage for one brief quarter of an hour
did more to upset the progress of Chris
tan endeavor In the far east than all
the idols in the Chinese empire.
''There's nawthin' in England for me,
Jackie. My gals a bloomin' foreigner
by this time. and she'll sell the bleedin'
farm, Of course. She's an American,
God bless 'er cart. 1 dare say If I'd
go to Ter and say I'd like my farm back
again she'd want to fork hover, but FER
husband wouldn't be for that sort of
hextravagance. Ed boot me off the
hisland."
1.-THE United States isn't an island,
Tazzy," explained Mr.. Wyckholme,
gulping his brandy and soda.
Mr.. Wyckholme was the second son