Year: 1864

property was to become the absolute possess ion of distant relative named Tardy, an olc lady who lived afar, and was the widow of Mr Peter Tardy, who had long gone still farther off

 Mrs. Bonton received the legacy with grace and, in order to enjoy it. lived eight years lon ger; and when she died. she died in the arms of Mir. Bonton, and there was little boy about seven years old, standing also by the bedside. This little boy was called Samson Dole Bonton, and was the innocent cause of 6 good deal of trouble short time after that.

 At the juncture of interests on the occasion of Mrs. Dole's third marriage. it had been agreed by her, that, as she expected never to have child of her own, she would ia due time adopt one, and call it hers-for the sake of appearances, in the second place, she ar gued, with some foresight, that if Mrs. Tardy should ever visit her, which was not very like ly, and should inquire who was the father of that child, she would remove Mrs. Tardy's hopes of succeeding to the property, by say ing the simple word, Dole." Mrs. Tardy would have no proof to the contrary, and would not be likely to dispute the legitimacy of the child. In case Mrs. Iardy never came, but should die before the adaptive mother did 20 much the better; for then there would be none to dispute the claim to the property when Mrs. Bonton came to her own latter end; and then, should the beloved Benton be alive, he could do what he pleased with the property.

 According to this plan an infant Was adopt. ed by the Bontons, in the second year of their marriage, and was known as Samson Dole Bonton, up to the time of his presumptive mothers death; at which period, as nothing had been heard of Mrs. Tardy for several years, it was supposed that having waxed old, she, too, in the course of nature, had begged out and Bonton now cherished the idea that he was to remain in undisputed possession ; and for time he felt 80 confident that he dropped the Dole from the boys name, and simply called him Samson.

 But though Mrs. Tardy's chance had been narrowed down to very small prospect she had not, according to supposition, begged out. She still continued to exist, and though at an advanced age, she maintained an all the more eager clutch upon life and such of lifes goods as she might obtain without stealing. Though residing at distance and never having stoop- ed to the thought of visiting Mrs. Bonton, she had never missed the deaths and marriages in the paper, she read. and one day she saw that Mrs. Bonton was dead.

 The first thought that occurred to her was

 Either that property is mine Or it is not mine y and on the spur of this conclusion she immediately started for the city, to make inquiries.

 She was an old lady, but she was wary and she was smart; and having ascertaned where was the very place where not to apply for re- liable information at the outset.

 Fanny never had d child by Dole, the Lord ried Bonton before she had right to, the law knows that if she didn't marry him twice she could have no lawful children

 On inquiring in the neishborhood she learn ed that the Bontons had had boy. about sev- en years old when his mother died.

 'wwasn't her lawful child, then insisted she.

 The suggestion then was made that perhaps the child was adopted, and this idea at once aroused the suspicious of Mrs. Tardy.

 She was referred to no less than three es tablishments which advertised for children tc be taken for adoption and adopted out to gooC homes.' She went to all three. The first haG been in operation only for year. The seconc had been a going only tEree years, althought il claimed to be doing aourishing business, anc would have liked to adopt child out to her o from her. At the third, which had been ir good circumstances ten years before, when tho business had not been SC cut iuto and divided around Mrs. Tardy was finally successful. Mir and Mrs. Twiggin were the experienced head of that child bazaar, and were the very peopl, who, about seven years before, had adopted out healthy infant foundling boy to the Beu tons, with red Maltese cross on the inside o his left knee-pan.

 In the course of long and solemn consul taton, Mrs. Tardy found that the Twiggin were to be trusted in the cause of truth ant righteousness and when she stated her cast in full. they professed their readiness to give their evidence in identifying the boy, Samson and they said that though they had watched his growth with interest, from time to time and knew that he was called her SOB by the late Mrs. Bonton. they kneS that he was not ; al he had always been there. and the mark, too and they would not see an old lady wronged o her rights by any little boy, no matter whether he had been adopted out by them or not.

 .The property, then, is mine, ,and the law shal give it to me- said Mrs. Tardy and having collected other evidence, to show that Darius Dole had never lived with nor seen his wife after once separating from her, and having found that Bonton was determined to make bold stand for the legitimacy of the boy, as the true and only sou of Darius and Fanny Dole, Mrs. Ia dy put the cause into court and Judge Lougwlse was on the bench while perhaps the spirits of Darius and Fanny Dale and old Mir. Kawper were lowering over the scene, and wishing they had mediums there to influence the case.

 The witnesses, there were but few, having been sworn, in the course of tho evidence the Twiggins were put upon the stand and tho boy, Samson, having barred his sinister knee joint, the red Maltese cross was plainly re yealed and as distinctly sworn to.

 T could swear to that cross,' declared Mir Twiggin, 'i if was deaf and dumb, so long as I could see it. think 1 am the first one that ever had the pleasure of taking notice of that beauty for whoever his parents was, they must have been in such a hurry to get rid O the baby, that they couldn't likely stopto mnd his marks. They left him in a coll pillow casa on our doorsteps, for he was doing well