Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-07-28
CHAPTER XVII.

copeland, the lawyer VINO never
practiced, reached the Tippecanoe Club
every week day at exactly thirty min
utes past twelve o'clock. A good fig
ure of man was Copeland. He had
steady brown eyes in which keen hui
NOR lurked; and his hair that had once
been black was now white; but he was
still young and the snowy cap over
his dark features was becoming In
frock coat Copeland would have graced
the Senate or the Presidents cabinet
table. He had telephoned Leighton 10
meet him one day near the end of Sep
TENDER.
Nothing? You reject my offer?'
asked Copeland It's better so at your
age. When I was in the practice
That was in the day. said Morris
when a law library in these parts
meant the State decisions and a few
text books"
Copeland continued to speak with
characteristic crispness.
Il have a customer up in the coun-
try who has made the acquaintance of
your particular friend, Mr.. Jack Bal
comb. Do you follow me?"
Your customer must be a man of
parts. Balcomb does not cultivate peo-
pie unless he sees something pretty
good in them"
L believe that is correct Well. nv
customer, whose name is Jennings, has
bought some stock in what is known
as the Patoka Land and Improvement
Company, of which Balcomb is treas
urer and one thing and another. There's
a lawyer up there in his building"
Van Cleve," suggested Leighton.
That's the chap. His eyes look like
a bowl of clam broth. He's the attor-
ney for the company. The reason he
holds the job is not difficult to deter
mine. His father is a banker down
here on the river somewhere and is
we'll to- do. Balcomb, I understand, is
teaching Van CIeve how things are
done in large cities"
He's competent teacher Go on"
"A client of your office is also in the
game to a certain extent. l refer to
Ezra Cameron, that genial warm
hearted, impulsive old fossil. They
tell me on the quiet that he's been
monkeying with options. He's selling
this company the old Roger Merriam
property south of town at half its val
ue and he's given them an option on
his strip of land out here on the creek.
You know Ba1comb's scnfme. He's go
ing to build ar ideal fiat out here at the
edge of town-fountain7 playing ev-
erywhere, roof gardens. native forest
trees-it's a delightful prospect Dam
eron's corner is great lace for it. /,
makes no difference whether the
scheme is practicable or cot. Balcomb
makes it sound awfully 1od. It's been
written up in the newsps pers most Sc
ductively. It's so good that only thu
elect can get in
Il know Balcomb and his habits o.
thought How much is he paying
Cameron for that proper Typ
"Balcomb has an option at Sky
thousand. Jennings tolc me that the
stockholders had already paid in mos,
of their money so that The purchase
could be made at once. The price is
amazingly low. He must be hard uo
Balcomb tells Jennings ard the rest 0.
them that he bought these lots merely
to be able to get that creek strip; but
ISIS a bargain and they'll make good
thing out of the lots. But what's the
matter with Ezra? 1 thought perhaps
Cars relations with cameron were
such that this information would in
terest you. The property is part Of the
Margaret Cameron trust eship and !
hope Miss Cameron will set all she's
entitled to- 1 believe that's the mos
curious will that was ever probated IL
our county" Copeland continued, with
the exaggerated gravity With which he
talked of legal matterF But that
woman certainly had an extraordinary
faith in her husband. Nobody else in
this township would trust Ezra Damer
on round the corner with a hot base
burner But Mrs. Cameron was rs
proud as Lucifer. She Rs a Merriam
and she must have the .,ght that by
leaving her property to Ezra in trust
for their daughter she would put
conversion under his htnor. But thu
trusteeship expires on the f1rst of Octo
Der and the old man is selling propert5
at ridiculous figure tc a crook
looks rather queer, doesn Z it?'
Cameron must have had somethin-
of his own; he had his wife's property
to play with and if he hasn't done wet
with it it's his own fault. I'm sorry
that he has fallen into Balcomb's
hands"
"Oh, well: you can't make a silk
purse out of a sardines tail" observed
Copeland, ref1ectively. And l fear that
Ezra is a sardine."
When Morris reached his office, he
on's will, written in lead pencil on
faded piece of manila paper, in Cars
small regular hand. Leighton had
come upon it once in cleaning out an
old desk, and he had put it among his
own papers as an interesting specimen
of Carr's handiwork. He unfolded the
sheets now and examined intently the
form of the will. The terms were clear
and unequivocal; he noted the change
of word and phrase here and there in
every case an Improvement in the n
terest of directness and clarity. There
was no question as to the meaning 81
the will Real estate was not to be
sold except by permission of the court
and proceeds were to be reinVested in
other realty. There was good sense in
the idea, but had Cameron sold the
Roger Merriam addition entire to the
Patoka Company without referring the
sale to the court?
The question must be answered, and
he went to the court house and asked
permission of the recorder to look al
the deed from Ezra Cameron, trustee.
to the Patoka Land and Improvement
Company 1t was in the hands OF a
clerk for transcribing, but Morris was
allowed to examine It. 1t was written
in Dameron's hand, and had been
copied from printed form of trustees
deed. The consideration was twenty
thousand dollars, the receipt of which
was duly acknowledged. Leighton was
a lawyer and he felt lawyers disgust
with the situation that the case pre-
scented. Cameron was clearly in seri-
Gus need of ready money or he would
not be selling real estate at ridieu-
lous figure. 1t was also patent that in
his necessity he had turned to Balcomb
as a man who would not scruple at
oblique practices.
Morris went the next day to the Of
fee of title company where he was