The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-02-21
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BY ALICE KlLLIAN.

my wishes are TeSpecteu.
"You mean that having left half your
fortune to Robert Brinsley and half to
Edith Allen, the whole to go to James
Stirling unless the two parties or the
first part keep the property undivided
by marriage, your wish is that they
shall comply with the terms of your
will, and inherit the estate"
"That is my desire" said the Scotch
man, "but put in codicil that If you
succeed in inducing the couple to ac-
cept the provision and inherit as man
and wife you are to receive twenty
five thousand dollars from the estate"
l lost no time in inserting this be-
quest and in getting the Will signed
and witnessed. MacTavish died within
twenty-four hours after 1t was exc
cuted.
1t would require hundred pages of
typewriter matter to explain why the
old Scotchman wished his property to
30 to these two persons. Therefore l
shall not attempt 1t in this very brief
story. / had twenty-five thousand dol
lars at stake and as soon as the will
was offered for probate | made pre-
liminary visit to each of the parties
to see what chance there was 10 the
matter.
"How much is the legacy?" asked
Brinsley.
"Two hundred thousand dollars"
"My half would be hundred thou
sand. Do you suppose I'm going to get
myself tangled up with woman for
that. l have three times that amount
already"
Miss Allen had no fortune and she
very much desired the legacy Of the
half of it. "Why can't we be married."
she asked me, part Immediately, and
when we receive the estate divide 1t
and get a divorce"
"You can," was my reply.
l went back to Brinsley and sub
mitted this proposition. He would
have nothing to do with 1t. l showed
him that by refusing he was keeping
a woman out of one hundred thousand
dollars. Bob was q fine fellow and he
said ut once: "You go tell her that If
she will agree to the divorce the mo-
ment l say the word, I'll marry her
and she may keep the whole Of the
two hundred thousand dollars"
That he might not have time to
change his mind broke the speed law
in getting to Miss Allen and informed
her of the generous offer. She was
amazed.
"Are you sure that proposition came
from a MANI" she gasped.
/ assured her of the fact and re-
ceived her consent to draw up gen
tleman's and lady's agreement that
after a marriage between the two nei-
Their would claim any matrimonial priv
ilege, and neither would object to
divorce when DESIRED by the other.
What pleased me almost as well as
the money l would get out of the trans
action was that the stubborn MacTav-
ish would after all fail In trying to
have his way after he was dead.
l asked the bride and groom a few
days before the wedding If they would
like to meet before being married, but
neither thought that anything would
be gained by seeing one another. be-
lieved Brinsley but not Miss Allen. In
the first place she was curious, as
women naturally are, and in the sec
ond she was unable to conceal from
me the fact that Bobs generosity had
had a serious effect upon her, She said
that If the groom-to-be had desire to
see her she had no objection to meet
ing him. Otherwise she would be con-
tent with his society for the ten min
utes that would be required to go
through the ceremony.
The wedding was to take place at
five o'clock In the afternoon, Brinsley
having an appointment at his club for
seven o'clock dinner. / got all the
papers drawn and ready for signature
and at four called at Bob's Office with
them. l was to act as attorney for
both and to read the documents to
them just before the ceremony. Bob
and l jumped into TIKI and rode to
Miss Aliens. There / introduced tho
contracting parties, they sat down by
table and read the papers aloud.
The reading took up half an hour, at
the end Of which time n parson who
was waiting was called in and the cere-
mony performed. While my eyes were
fixed on the documents of course ]
could not see the bride and groom
During the ceremony l noticed that
Bob had lost something of his sang
frold; the bride was iDscrutable.
At the conclusion OF the service Bob
and l were about to leave, when the
bride said she would like a few words
with Mr.. Brlnsley. She desired his
own personal word that he would keep
the letter and the spirit of the agree
ment that had been made. She knew
nothing about law, but she could I'm.
derstand q promise. Seeing that she
wished to speak to him alone, / went
away without him.
During the evening, knowing that he
had an engagement at the club, u
dropped In there. 1t was about nine
o'clock when | arrived and I was as.
tonlshed to hear that he had not been
there. The man he was to meet had
dined alone. Moreover Brlnsley had
not offered an excuse for not keeping
his appointment.
! heard nothing from Brinsley foi
two months, when he Informed me that
he had not nnrted q nprend with hi.