Putnam patriot., 1913-05-09
CLAIM NOT VALID
Rich Young Mans Scheme to Force Girl to Marry Him
 Fails.
BY X. M. eesERT.

q rity in Martinsville for forty years. And the big store and the bank and the innumerable pieces of real estate that he had owned here and there in the state capital had fallen to his miseriy nephew. Hamilton Hall.
 Ha milton spent five days with his lawyer, and at the end of that period discovered that one-fourth of Cephas tenants had been living rent free for years For much of the property was in the poorer part of the city and Cephas had never turned poor ten ant out of doors in his life.
 But not all of Cephas' tenants had been poor. One of them. Miss Sido- mia Trayers, occupied the old Trayers mansion on Hurland Heights, which had come to her on the death of her father twenty years previously When Hall read this name he whistled; and when the lawyer told him that she. too, lived rent free. he whistled again.
 You see, it's this way. MT. Hall, said the lawyer. Miss Sidonia be lieyes that the property is hers. Shes got only tiny income of six dollars week outside 1t, and if she lost II she'd be practically beggar-she and her niece, Mary Travers."
 Never mind about Mary, go on. said Hamilton Hall, wetting his lips.
 Well. sir, the property isn't hers at all. The titles faulty. It belonged to Mir Merritt But he was an old friend of hers-they say he was once her suitor--and he'd have cut off his right hand rather than let her know she was his tenant If that old lady lost Trayers house she'd not survive 1t many weeks, MT. Hall So all thls time shes lived in your unele's house rent free. and thought it hers And l know be meant 10 deed it to her in his will, only he couldn't bear even to let her know the truth. and then he expected to survive her"
 Then 1 have the right to It2" ex. claimed Hamilton eagerly.
 His lawyer looked him up and down He knew what was passing through his mind. He knew the story of Halls unsuccessful wooing of Mary Travers and his hatred for Vincent Blaine, her tiance When her aunt died Mary was to marry Blaine. Till then she would not leave her. And the lovers had been engaged five years.
 Better leave her alone. Mir. Hall" said the old lawyer, In his heart smonldered contemptuous hatred for the man, he would gladly have dispensed with him for client. for he did not relish the sort of work he would be called upon to do. But he held his peace. knowing that. If nee essary. he could cheekmate Halls evil designs.
 What is the value of TrayerB house2" asked Hamilton.
 Easily twelve thousand dollars, in Its present state" the lawyer an swered. And, anticipating the next question, he continued, "At a fair rental it should bring thousand dol lars"
 Then she owes me twenty thou. sand dollars" thought Hall But what he said was; My uncle must have been mad"
 Mary Travers was prettier than ever, in Halls eyes. When he saw her enter the ldfashioned drawing room a flame of jealousy of Blaine burned in his heart.
 "Sit down. Miss Travers," he said '1 have something 10 say to you You know. Of course. that my uncle Is dead?r
 Yes" answered Mary. He was a good man and an old friend of my hunt's. l am sorry. MT Hall"
 Well. that's more than ] am. by long odds" Hall answered Don't you know that I've fallen heir to everything he had2 Yes, and 1 find that I'm worth cool eight hundred and fifty thousand at the lowest esti- mate. Now, Mary l want you to be sensible. Be my wife Don't be In fatuated by that man Blaine He's a good. honest toiler, no doubt, but he'll never be anything"
 Mr Hall." said Mary. rising. T cannot hear any more"
 What. you won't marry me now7"
 .Never" she cried angrily. con fronting him with blazing eyes. T hate and despise you
 Then why don't you marry Blaine9" sneered Hamilton Hall And, as she did not reply. he continued:
 'I tell you why. You're waiting un- til your aunt dies so as to get her property. But it Isn't hers-it's mine My uncle owned 1t all the time. for the conveyance was faulty. The title is fraudulent And if you don't marry newly. badly as I'd like to let you stay. out she goes, and you, Miss Mary. unless l get that twenty thousand dollars of rent that's in arrears"
 Ills vulgarity of mind had produced a similar infirmity of speech Now he stopped. half frightened; he had never dared address Mary in such tones before. But he had produced exactly the effect that he anticipated. Her gentle nature. unused to such Ian guage. was terrifed-almost eowed.
 This house is not my aunt'ss" she cried
 No. Miss Mary. it's mine" Han an. swered. But If you'll throw Blaine over and marry me I'll settle it on Miss Travers for lifes He advanced in advance, he might express the bag Lo---and so forth.
 Many men would have done so and said the matter could so hang, but Mir. Rexford didn't A faint sntn of romance was in the air. He was aware of emotions to which he had heretofore been a total stranger. Back be went to Hartford. It was eight ,ho n~.ws.e. ha gaxQft