The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-03-27
XIII


CHAPTER XIII
NfR. ABSOLOM MPEAKE'S sec
lN1 rotary came into his office and
handed him the card of Mr.. Elmer
Butterworth Clarke. Employer and
employee gazed at each other hu-
morously.
"Oh, what a fall was there, my
countrymen !" murmured McPeake.
TITS much too bad" his secretary
declared. "Such a nice-looking
young man, too"
"Does he bear a family resem-
blance to that terrible old uncle Of
his?"
about as much as a hunting
watch resembles a grandfather's
clock. Shall I show him inT"
81 suppose so. Let's have 1t over
with"
A moment later Elmer was ush-
cred in. McPeake greeted him cor
daily and after a few minutes spent
in polite amenities Elmer ventured
to inquire in what condition the es-
tate might be.
"Tn very excellent shape indeed.
Mr. Clarke. All the minor bills of
the estate have been paid, with
the exception of the current month
~ charges; the appraisers have
completed their task, their report
has been fled and about all that
remains to be done Is to pay the
federal and state taxes, the cost
Of probate. my fee az executor and
attorney for the estate, the few spe-
cifc requests contained in your
uncle's will and that old mortgage"
Il supposed you had paid
the mortgage to avoid interest
charges" Elmer remarked.
mot yet. There isn't sufficient
money in the estate to pay It,"
"Strange! / gathered from your
first adyices to me that there was
quite a sun on hand In cash, and
also a couple Of hundred thousand
dollars worth Of marketable Sc
curities. l also understood that
this mortgage was for a sun of for
ty thousand dollars"
"That is the principal sum. Per-
haps I'd better start at the begin
ming and tell you the story as your
uncle told 1t to me the day he made
his will"
Perhaps that would be better"
Elmer suggested.
McPeake thereupon permitted
the blow to fall. For about ten
seconds Elmer stared at him un-
winkingly-then a slow. amused
smile lighted up his face. $50
forty thousand dollars, at eight
per cent, compounded semi-annually
for forty-two years, amounts to
all that, Ell? Suffering mudcats!
I should have known there was a
catch in this will somewhere! And
he laughed gently.
"Pm sorry. Mr.. Clarke, but there's
no way out for us. The record
speaks for itself, your uncle's will
gives us no alternative, and the next
of kin to Benedict Oatheron has
been discovered and has proved her
case" McPeake looked his visitor
over humorously. II could furnish
you with her name and address,"
he suggested. "Then you might
hunt her up. court her, marry her
and get the money back into the
family"
VIII nnhr N1k t~to~aufnd n~t.nratu
a girl back In pllarcltos, Calf. who
claims all Of my sentimental Htten-
ton. I hope to tell you I wouldn't
lose her for a sum equal to the ma
tional debt"
Bully for you. Mr.. Clarke. And
by the way, I must say | have
never seer a man take such q loss
with a smile before. I'll say you're
game"
"Can't lose what I never had,
Mr.. McPeake. BY the way, was the
record of this old mortgage among
my uncle's papers?"
"Oh, yes! Your uncle never de-
anything"
well. If I had found 1t, I would
have suspected that the. mortgage
had not been paid, otherwise there
would have been a copy Of the re-
lease among his papers. So / would
run the record down and paid
1t myself. Uncle Hiram worried IN
necessarily"
"You would have paid it yourself
interest compoundedY"
certainly. A note is a note, Just
as a bet Is a bet"
But well. Mr.. Clarke, I WAS
going to suggest to you that we
might get together with the pres
emf holder of that mortgage and eff
feet a settlement. The deficiency
Is outlawed, and II we
made a poor mouth and told her
that a large portion of the estate
consisted of real estate not readily
we might get her to abats
The compounded interest Or We
might induce her to accept 4 lot
Ho>1 r~ oqfafe NJ inHafoA |