The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-05-06
CHAPTER "

ington, landed that famous pool at Brack-
nell. He was quite willing to go through
the Accommodations of his respected father
in-law; and, while he lasted. Mr.. Lyme
Wregis proved himself a very pattern
relative in that respect. He made money
lightly by daring speculations. and he
spent his winnings freely. He beha we'd
with loyal liberality to his son-in-law
Not only did he make the newly married
pair very handsome allowance, but he
responded in manner beyond all praise
to extraneous tugs at his purse strings.
Great was the sensation through Lon
don when the evening papers announced
the suicide Of Mr.. Lyme Wregis. That
when the state of his affairs came to be
investigated he should be found hopeless
~ and well-nigh fraudulently bankrupt
was only what the catastrophe had pre-
pared the world for. Out of the wreck of
the colossal fortune. which there could be
no doubt the great financier once possess
ed. there remained but fifteen hundred a
year, which had been settled on Mrs.
Lyme Wregis about the time that her
daughter was born. Lord Lexington found
himself in similar plight to Fred Chiches-
a
besgar.
Wealth is, after all. a matter of COM
parison. 1t Is simply income in consid-
cradle excess of what we have been ac-
customed TO. Fifteen hundred a year
would of course represent affiuence to the
many. To energetic, clever managing
Mrs. Lyme Wregis it represented COM
fort To Lord darlington it meant gem
teel poverty. His wife died. and he sud
denly awoke to the fact that the annual
dividend paid to him on the hundred
pounds he had placed in the Great Ton
tine was rapidly becoming a very i'm
portant item when regarded as pocket
money. A hundred a year or so may not
be much looked upon as income. but it be
comes a very respectable sum when view
ed in the light of loose silver.
The death of his wife made no differ
ence to Lord Lakington's domestic ar
engagements. He and his daughter still
continued TO reside with Mrs. Lyme " re-
gis. Not only had he and the old lady
always been upon excellent terms, but she
was gradually assuming an Importance in
his eyes, which was destined a little later
life that he had nominated when invest
ing the hundred pounds won Il Ascot in
the Great Tontine." and such was the
vivacity and vitality exhibited by his
mother-in-law that he began seriously to
think that it was very possible she might
survive all the other competitors. He
had thought but little of the great lottery
when he first took a share in it, and, in
deed. never would have done so had it not
been rendered obligatory on him by the
terms of the pool that he won but his
attention was now called to it every half
year in very pleasing fashion; and as the
years rolled by, that lives originally nom
mated at sixty should begin to fall fast
was only in accordance with the laws Of
nature As the lives fell so did the
shareholders diminish, and so, consequent
ly. did the dividends increase for those
whose nominees were fortunately still liv-
ing. The new opera house had been built
long ago, and was now supposed to be a
remarkably thriving establishment. 1t at
all events enabled its lessee. Mr.. Sails
bury, to pay the eight thousand a year
rent. which was divided punctually
amongst the shareholders. As the nomi-
nees got we'll past the three-score and ten
GERS ordinarily allotted to humanity. the
i've began to fall every spring like
leaves in autumn. Finally viscount LAX
ington found that his half yearly divi-
dend amount to one thousand pounds :
that, in fact, Mrs. Lyme Wregis was one
of the last four surviving lives in this
gigantic pool, and that the possibility of
his coming into fortune of eight thou
sand a year was hanging upon the life
of that venerable lady.
On a bright June morning. Lord LAX
ington enters the dining room OF COM
fortably sized house in the Victoria road.
Kcnsington, crosses to the breakfast table,
and proceeds to glance over his CORE
spondence. Life is made pleasantly
smooth for him at present. In the en-
joyment of comfortable home. presided
over by two women both implicitly devot-
ed to him, he can thoroughly rely upon
all those comforts which become rather
dear to us as we verge towards fifty: and
he has now ample resources TO enable
him TO indulge in all such social pleasures
as he may desire Both his mother-in-law
and his daughter have now for SO long
made him the first consideration in the
house that ii was little wonder the Wis
count should have developed certain in
dolent selfishness. On one point only has
Mrs. Lyme Wregis been firm. Not only
has she been rcsolute against any en-
croachment upon such capital as was left
to her, but she has further informed the
ViScount that, though she has left all her
property between him and his daughter.
it is so tightly tied up that he will never
be able to touch it in any way. AS she
laughingly told him, there was no estate
in the kingdom SO big that it would not
slip through his spendthrift fingers and
Lord Lexington quite acknowledged the
justice of the remark.
Why" he exclaims, II believe it will
come off ! Here is another life gone
ole of the last four remaining in-and
strange to say, the nominator thus put
out of IL the only one / knew, Hemming-
by, the lessee of the Vivacity Theater.
This is getting exciting. Here l am.
one of three, in a sweepstake of a hun
dred and sixty thousand pounds. There
is only that lawyer fellow down In Wales
and O maiden lady somewhere; and, by
the way, Hemmingby told me some
months ago that her dividends for the
last two years have remained in abey-
ance. Her nominee has mysteriously dis
appeared. She cannot show him to be
alive, nor, on the other hand, can the
directors in any way prove that he is
dead-a most inconvenient old vagabond
to go wandering about at his time Of life
and leave no address. His inconsiderate
disappearance will probably protract the
ultimate wind-up Of the affair, and occa-
sion no end of trouble. Even il my dear
old mother-in-law is the last known life
left in. | suppose the directors will ex-
rect me TO trace out where this vagrant
old sinner made an end OF it,
vt this juncture his reflections were
oxen by the opening of door, and
kinglv pretty girl entering the room.
= exclaimed. Good morning. papa"
ted Ii i'm with an affectionate kiss, and
ceeded to decorate his button hole with
lower
Good morning. Beatrice" he replied.
as he carelessly returned her caress "and
how is grandmamma after her last nights