The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-03-26

ocean before she showed not only great
dependence upon me to 10 things for
her, but began to rely upon me for
companionship and for sympathy. Her
son had provided her with reading mat
ter, and she desired me to read To
her, but | saw at once that the books
he had selected were far above his
mothers requirements. | found light
err works in the ships library, which |
read to my charge and by doing SO not
only kept her from haraSSiny me, but
| was enabled to pass such time as |
devoted to this work pleasantly.
During the latter days Of the ocean
voyage ! got Mrs. Switzerland on deck
occasionally. and she was benefited by
the pure air Of an ocean whose cur
rents were unobstructed. but when we
entered the SlnOke and perpetual rains
Of London she fell back to her previ.
Gus condition.
One duty fell to me that l found very
difficult. Mrs. Switzerland directed me
to write every few days Of her condi-
ton to her son. OF course she read
the letters l wrote. I tried telling the
young man that his mother was doing
well and improving steadily. This let
ter she forced me to write over, telling
him that she was no better and would
never be any better. | Obeyed the Or
der, but since | was commissioned
with the posting Of the letter l opened
it and put Il postscript stating that the
health report was his mothers and
not mine. In my ncxt letter | stated
that the patient was feeling poorly. |
was directed to write it "tolcrably well
for a broken down Old woman"
Since ! wrote in the mothers name
the son replied directly to her, but his
letters invariably contained thanks to
me for acting as her amanuensis. He
seemed constantly sOlicitOus about his
mother. and it was evident that he
was Il very good and a%tfectionate son.
We reached Switzerland as the hot
weather elsewhere was coming on, and
| took my charge to a small hotel OF
Lake Geneva. l had hoped the Swiss
mountain air would do her good. and l
do not doubt it would have done SO
had it not beer that her vitality was
gradually failing.
During u stay in Switzerland l was
told by physicians whom l had called
in that she would last but a few weeks.
l wrote privately to Roy Switzerland
Of this report.
Roy started at once to join us, but
alive. During the last week Of her life
she became aware that she had but a
short time to live and called In a no.
tary to draw a will. l was surprised
at this, for she had told me that she
had made q will before she left be.
Queathing her fortune to Roy, but had
determined that If he married against
her wishes during her lifetime she
would change it. However, 1t vas nat.
ural that she should make a will with
death facing her to provide for imme.
date requirements. Indeed, she told
me that she had stipulated in the in.
strument that 1 should be paid my sal
ary for a year from the date of my en-
tering her service.
A few days after Mrs. Southerland's
death we started on u return to
America. I gave Roy his mothers
will, but he was too much affected by
her loss to open it. thrusting it into his
pocket.
When ! reached America l went
directly to my home. Not long after
my arrival Roy Switzerland called
upon me. and from the moment l en-
tered the room where he was l knew
something momentous had happened.
He spoke to me in a reserved tone.
Are you aware Of the contents of
my mothers will so far as it concerns
you?'
"Only what she told me-"
What did she tell your
That | was to receive a years sal
ary."
"Do you know any thing else that is
in it,"
Nothing whatever. supposed that
she would call upon me for one of the
witnesses, but she did not"
While he was asking me these ques-
tons he was scrutinizing me. 1t was
evident he was searching for some
truth. He asked me one more ques-
ton.
Did mother ever talk to you about
how she had left her propertyT
"She told me she had left a will at
home bequeathing you everything. but
added that in case you married with
out her consent she would change It,"
When l said this an expression came
over his face which seemed to indicate
that he had elected what he had been
searching for. He did not speak again
for a few moments. then in a changed
voice said:
"All my mothers property after a
few small legacies is ~bequeathed to
you"
l stood staring ut him as though he
had made a statement involving an i'm
possibility.
81 naturally wondered" he continued.
whether you had exerted any in
fluence upon my mother to bring this
about. l Am sure you had nothing to