Connecticut western news., 1910-12-29
An Important Law
 Case By CARL SARGENT CHASE Copyright, 1910. by American Press
 Association.

I saw ahead of me an old man and a girl running as for dear life. Has, sening my pace, I came up with them. They turned, with despair in their faces. The girl clasped her hands, as- suming a posture of entreaty, and be- gan a number of incoherent sentences.
 ''I beseech you not to take him back. He will really go mad if you shut him up again in that terrible place. Let us go on and say you couldn't find us."
 The girl begging for the old mans liberty was so beautifully feminine that had she not also moved my sym pathies might have let her go on beg ging for some time longer. AS 1t was stopped her.
 You are losing valuable time. am not your pursuer, and if any one is after you you'd better tell me about 1t in few words. If you need help will help you" -.
 The change on her countenance from despair to hope was even more win ming than her expression of supplied ton. She told me that her grand father-the man who was with her was very rich; that his nephew in or der to secure possession of his prop. erty had secured his incarceration In a lunatic asylum; that she had been admitted to see hina and had surrep- titiously taken him away. They were sure when they heard the wheels of my buggy that I was coming to take the old man back to the asylum.
 had no doubt from the girls story the old man was 0 lunatic who had persuaded his granddaughter that he was of scz1nd mind and was being per secuted for his estate. There was cer- tainly nothing of the millionaire in his appearance, and be had probably i'm agined the story of her wrath-or, rath- CT, 1t was part of his lunacy. Never theless was so attracted to the girl that resolved to get the couple away from the asylum authorities long enough to look into the case.
 An exclamation of terror from the girl attracted my attention, and, look ing behind me, saw horse and bug gy coming at brisk trot. I took the couple into my wagon, but did not make an attempt at flight, jogging along at quiet gait.
 "Oh, heavensw exclaimed the girl. 'We will be taken. Do go faster" "Not without my knowing just why" replied. T promise you to interest myself in your case and if your grand father Is improperly confined to move heaven and earth to accomplish his release"
 The pursuer, an official of the, luna- | tic asylum, soon overhauled us. He told me that the old man was a pa | tient at the asylum and he wanted him. invited him to continue with us into the city toward which we were going, promising to hold the patient for him in order that the asylum au- | thorities might substantiate their legal claim to him. He could only accept | the terms, and drove on, he follow ing. ".@
 On reaching the city I pulled up at the office of my attorney, and we all went in together. By my action had won the confidence of not only the runaways, but the asylum official, and ' o NOAhpiOAAcC WdS C1CNlCO Uy Wu1Cu the former should remain in my keep ing while the lawyer investigated the case. Since lived with my mother in a house plenty large enough for all of us this was very satisfactory ar engagement. enabling me to be con. stantly with the girl, whose sweetness and devotion to her grandfather won me completely.
 At the end of week my lawyer told me that he had unearthed what he be- lieved to be one of the most nefarious plots he had ever encountered The old man, Jonathan Gooding, possessed an immense fortune. Being without wife or children, he had taken his granddaughter Grace to live with him when she was little girl and had made will bequeathing her his for tune. His nephew, a man of forty five and a lawyer, had known what legal steps to take to secure the old mans removal to the asylum and had managed the matter very adroitly, his plan being at his uncle's demise to se- cure distribution of his estate among his heirs. which would give the nephew the lions share.
 Fortunately was possessed of suf- flcient property to advance what money was necessary to a thorough legal in- vestigation of the case. A long suit followed, during which MT. Gooding was committed to a private sanita- rum. That his granddaughter was de voted to him on account of her affec- tion for him became apparent from a test made. I told her that the case could be settled and her grandfather go free if she would relinquish all claim to his estate. The lighting of her face as she replied that she would gladly do so was delightful to look upon.
 I confessed that I had only been testing the disinterestedness of her af- lection for her grandfather and as sured her that We would be able to keep him out Of a madhouse without ter surrendering any of her rights.
 My whole being becoming absorbed fn Grace GoCSing, I made her cause