Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-01-19
TAKING A LAW CASE
BY DAVID WATERS.

i 0y 0AvIO WAIehSs
Copyright, 1910. by American Press Asso-
| ciation.l
Here Is letter from a client Of
ours, Nine. Dubois" said the head
Of the firm. asking US to send a man
to her at l. about litigation as to
real estate she is interested in. Take
the afternoon train. She'll meet you"
1 1t was Saturday. and feared to get
caught In a country town over Sun
day. but was not accustomed to make
suggestions to my chief and did not
dare propose delay. arrived at L.
just before the dinner hour, and. pass
ing out of the station, l saw q lady
about twenty-five years old sitting
alone In buggy and keeping her eyes
on the throng Of arrivals 1t occurred
to me that she might have come to
meet me. and I stopped before her.
The moment her gaze was fixed on me
a sudden look Of joyful wonder came
into her eyes.
"Are you Mime. DuboisY' I asked.
" am"
"And am Edmond Boyer. with
Twining & Twining, attorneys"
| "Ah, c'est vous dt is you) I have
been expecting"
l got into the buggy with her, and
she drove me to her home. As soon
as we alighted she began to stare at
me. Then she said to me In broken
French:
Pardon. You are the image Of my
late husband. When saw you at
the station I thought for moment
you were he arisen from the dead.
You bear C French name. I see. You
must be Of French extraction"
my father came to America from
| Dijon before was born"
"Trom Dijon! My husbands family
live there. l came from Paris few
months ago. l am here to secure
some property that was owned by my
uncle, who came here years ago."
Mime. Dubois showed me her hus-
bands likeness, and my resemblance
to him was astonishing. 1t was EVIL
dent that he and l had sprung from
the same stock. Ills widow must have
loved him very dearly. for she could
l uOL ulSkul5e uCI 4CCAAh6o az AdSCSAh6
one who resembled him. and she treat
ed me as though were he who had
returned to her.
| My feelings at this treatment were
singular While 1t was pleasant to
be coddled by a pretty woman, my
amour propre was ruffied at being the
recipient Of especial attentions as the
representation of another-a dead man.
At one moment l would experience a
delicious gladness, at the next would
knit my brows at the thought that l
was being worshiped as wooden idol.
Then when Nine. Dubois saw that
was troubled she would give me a
piteous look from her big black liquid
eyes, and / was in heaven again.
My widow spoke but little English
and not word Of French. The con-
sequence was that We fell into pan
tomime. and pantomime Is often more
expressive than words. Indeed, love
can be better indicated by one look
than by a dozen languages. l soon
got used to representing another and
discovered that any omission Of dis
play of affection for the dead had q
narrowing effect on the living,
| OF course did not get a proper
knowledge Of the business Mime. Du
bois wished to intrust to the firm OF
Twining & Twining before the last
train had left Saturday night She
declined to take the matter up or
Sunday She was very methodical
Her first inquiry was what would be
the amount charged for legal services
had been instructed to ask for q
retaining fee Of $50, but declined tc
name any future amount. Next she
gave me an account Of how the prop
erty had been acquired and lastly q
statement Of claims made upon 1t BY
builders and others.
/ had been looking into the case OF
Nine. Dubois three days when l re.
ceived note from my employer ask
ing when l would return. l replied
that, since our client spoke very little
English, much time must be spent In
getting the facts. Two days later
received peremptory order to return
at once.
l was standing In the hall bidding
Mime. Dubois goodby when she said
to me:
"Ze retaining rargent? Must pay
nowT
my firm usually collects that before
taking a case"
''Combien-how much did you say 1t
wasY
had forgotten that l had given her
an amount and replied that 1t would
be 500.
Gent dollarw she exclaimed, sur
prised. You are dearer to me than
when we were first engaged"
In love effects are as likely to be
produced by blunders as by properly
expressed ideas. Lovers may be sepa-
rated or united by installing the mean
ing Of word. l knew full well the
1 hok ho