The daily Alaskan., 1915-08-05
A Notary s
 Discontinue
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

By DWIGHT NONWOOD
 Many years ago in the city of Rheims,
 in France, which has of late been the
 scene of fighting between the French
 and the Germans, there lived m old
 notary. In France a notary is a law
 yer, but in the olden time a lawyer was
 not of much more importance so far as
 his work was concerned than a notary
 is with us today. Jules FarlieuX, the
 notary of Rheims, had accumulated
 some 50,0OO francs, which had come to
 him through small fees. This sum
 S1O,00O In our money-was quite a for
 tune In those days, especially in France,
 where everything was very cheap and
 one could live comfortably on a small
 income
 The old man had one child, a dNugh-
 ter, Delphine, to whom he expected to
 leave his property, and It was his ex-
 pectation that she should marry a man l having at least an equal amount. What
 was his chagrin, therefore, when he | learned that she had fallen in love with l AlphOnse Du Bois, young fellow who 1 had just been graduated from q law school in Paris and settled in Rheims to practice his profession without q sou to his name. The notary simply forbade
 his daughter to have anything to do
 with the man.
 One day three men came Into Jules 1 FarlieuX'S office. and after asking if and 1 being assured that he was the "diStin- ] gulshed notary" with whom so many persons lntrusted their affairs and their moneys they asked him to take care of { 100000 francs in gold which was theirs ] jointly. Jules accepted the trust, 1t be- | ing agreed that he should deduct per cent of the amount when the money { was returned. He was then asked to 1 draw up contract to that effect, in l which he stipulated to pay over the
 money to the three men together and
 not to any one or two of them sepa- i rately. The contract having been sign
 ed the men departed leaving the gold
 on a table. As the notary was gather i ing 1t up to put In his strong box one of 1 the men returned, saying he had been | deputed by the others to count the 1 money before It was put away While he ! was doing so q stranger came hurriedly Into the office and, after taking the 1 notary into a rear room, asked him i some questions concerning q matter which he seemed to consider of imme- i diate importance. The notary tried to 1 get away from him, but found it impOs- 1 sible. When he was permitted to re turn to the other room both the money and the man who had been counting 1t
 were gone.
 FarlleuI found himself in very un- pleasant position. He had reCeipted ! for 100000 francs which he was to pay ! to the three owners together One of | them had taken the amount, and the notary would be obliged to indemnify ! the others, which would require nearly 1 double all he possessed. He heard nothing from any of the men for e i month; then one morning the two who | had lost their share came to him and l demanded it.
 The notary believed that the men had conspired to swindle him, but un, less he could prove this he had no hope of saving the little fortune he had been q lifetime in accommodating and which
 was to go to his daughter for a dowry. He made every effort to prove that the men were dishonest and In collusion, but was not able to do so.
 After a formal demand for their money the two men put the ease in the courts, and a day was set for trial Alphouse Du BOiS learned of the case from his sweetheart, Louise, and the probable loss of her dOwry. He told her to say to her father that he would save him from the swindle if he would consent to his marriage with her. Louise gave the old man the message and 1t made him very angry.
 "Whatw he exclaimed. "DOes this popinjay who has no experience in the | law propose to do what I, who have
 been a notary for forty years, cannot | do?"
 Louise argued with her father, say ing that nothing would be lost by per hitting AlphOnse to take the case and something might be gained. Since the old mans principal grief was that she would be deprived of her dowry, she finally won him over, but not until the case had been called in court, and If any defense was to be put in it must 1 be done at once. Then the notary,
 who, could see no possible excuse un-