The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-01-30


a cent more. That's final.'
1--WE will not quarrel about II
further. Any other specific be
~quests?"
The miser's eyes sought the car.
net and il was evident now that
he was embarrassed. ~"Absolom.'
he stammered finally. Il got a con-
fession to make. Some forty years
ago I had a farm in illinois-IIl
give YOU the full legal description
later-and / mortgaged it to a mar
for forty thousand dollars.
wanted the money to put into the
worst investment | ever made. and
that was a Nevada silver mine
Consolidated Virginia. | bought
Stock with that money during the
days of the big Comstock excite
ment. | could have sold out and
doubled my money two weeks after
| made the investment, but | held
on and on, takin' more and more
proft-on paper-until that under
ground river busted into the Com
stock lode on the two thousand
foot level and ruined the mine
and me.
"Well, l lost the farm. | couldn't
repay the mortgage, Absolom, and
after there was a flood and the
Mississippi river changed its chan
mel and ruined that farm, didn't
want to repay the loan. OF course
the man who loaned me the money
lost his forty thousand and the in
terest. He got a deficiency judg
ment against me, but | lodged II
for twenty years and then hi:
widow or his executor permitted
the Judgment to lapse-and-well
Absolom. I reckon I'd ought to have
paid the widow that money. How
ever. I didn't an now I want to f>
1t in my will so that every dollar
both principal and interest, due un
der that Judgment to date shall b.
paid to the widow or"
1.-THE legal heirs of her body" Nc
Peake cut in professionally.
Old Butterworth nodded ant
handed him a fat envelope. "Thi:
contains all the information" hi
explained.
anything else?"
Nothing, Absolom, except that
well, I reckon it's usual to have the
executor give a bond, so you'd bet
ter stipulate in my will that the
customary bond shall be filed witt
the court by the executor.
"Old Safety First" McPeake re
peated. "I1l have your will ready
In an hour. Stay where you are
Within the hour Hiram Butter
worth had signed his last will AND
testament. He carried a copy OF
the document away with him and
left the original with his lawyer. Or
the first of the following month he
received from Absolom McPeake 9
bill for fifty dollars for profession.
al services drawing will.
"The dirty, cheap. two-for-a-cent
legal jackal." he raved to his mar
Bunker. Sending me a bill fol-
drawing my will after all I've done
for him." He telephoned immedi
ately to Absolom McPeake and told
the latter in lurid language exact
ly what he thought of him.
You're a dirty robert" the old
man shrieked. "Ill change my will
this very day. I'll learn you"
He was terribly angry-so angry
in fact, that he quite forgot the ad.
vice for which he had paid so heav
lily to six heart specialists. He
mumbled ~incoherently into the
transmitter, then let it fall with 6
crash which was not lost on the
lawyer at his end of the line. Then
very family. McPeake heard hin
say: 80 God! Forgive me! In
dying-dy-"
When McPeake reached hi:
clients place of business he found
Hiram Butterworth stretched out or
the grimy, u~ncarpeted floor Of his
private office. He "a quite dead
Bunker, a gray-haired, gray-faced
meek, cowed-looking little man. was
sitting in a chair across the room
watching the dead man.
He looked up as McPeake en-
tered and a smile illumined his gray
face, for he was free at last.
."The old mans heart went bach
on him" Bunker explained. He:
dead. and although I've worked f0l
him nearly thirty years, I can't say
I'm sorry"
"You ought to be glad. Bunker
In fact. You will be glad when
tell you that his will, which 7 drew
up two weeks ago, provides a spe
cial bequest to you of ten thousand
dollars"
'Ten thousand Ten thousand .
the old man repeated, In crescendo
"Why, he-he-he promised me foi
years that he'd leave me a hundred
thousand. I've devoted my life tc
that mar and all | ever got foi
It was abuse and a bare living. And
now he-he's betrayed me-"
Bunker's form quivered and two
tears cOursed slowly down his lined
cheeks. MY wife will feel badly
about this" he quavered. "She
was sort Of figuring on 1t. Well
what can't he cured must be en-
dured, I suppose"
McPeake went back to his Office
Two hours later. IN Pilarcitos
Calf. Elmer Clarke received the
following telegram:
"MfuscatIne. Iowa.
August /, 1924.
"Your uncle. Hiram Butter
worth. died suddenly here today
Please wire disposal of body. I was
your uncIe's attorney during his
lifetime. and am named executor Of
his estate.
"a. McPeake. Federal Trust Bldg