Year: 1862




this is the last night your fathers remains will
be above ground, as an afectionate son you
desire tho privilege Of performing the sad
Office of watching by them in private. and
that for this night you wish to be left to the
free and undisturbcd indulgence of your own
sad reflections. Well, after you have got
them all OF, do you, at precisely twelve
o'clock, place lamp in the window us a
sigual that all is ready. I'll DO outside with
my men waiting for it, and we'll come and
knock three times lightly on the front door,
Then come down and let us in. Now, don't
20 clustering about and make such racket
as will wake up the house; for 1t We get
caught in the scrapo it willgo hard with us.
III come with the papers all made out to
will the property to you. l am an old hand
at fac Smiles. I'll take your fathers dead
within mine and aiIix his signature to it. 1t
shall be so exact an imitation that even an
expert like Ncthcrclift can't detect 1t from
tho genuine. Howe and Maynard, my clerks,
shall come with me as witnesses. That's
necessary, you know for If the family 90 to
raising rumpus and carry the affair into
court. we must have something to fall back
upon; and they'll bc there to swear that the
will Is both legal and genuine, signed, scaled
and delivered into my hands by the tcstator
himself in their presence. Now, you've my
plan, what's to hinder its being carried into
execution?


Nothing, returned the other, musingly /;
'only two men and yourself to paywill draw
pretty we'll from my pockets


'Fooln muttercd Dixon. to himself. Il
believe, upon my word, tho fellow would
hang himself. to save q shilling. Tight,
miserly scoundrel, il undertake the job, Ill
make o good deep hole in his Golfers


Gervase Elton was the descendent of long
limo of substantial yeomanry. lie had been
farmer by vocation. and miser by reputa-
ton. by nature and education.


The land upon which the fine old farm
stood IRON its vicinity to tho rising town Of
Birkenhead, had doubled and trebled in value
till Geryase Elton became worth eighty or u
hundred thousand pounds. But il high
estimate was placed upon his estates, very
low estimation was certainly placed upon
his character. He was pasimonious and
miserly to this degree. Gold was the sole
and ultimate object Of his existence. 1t was
gold-bright. shining, glittering gold-for
which no thirsted and hungered gold, which
had wrapped his mind. bent his tall athletic
form, brought deep burrows to his brow and
turned his hair prcmaturely white. And
now he had gone and left it-gone to receive
his reward or condemnation /! He had lived
unhonored and unlovcd, and there was none
to mourn or lament his death; and those
who inherited his estate rejoiced.


Besides his widow, who survived him, the
old miser left two sons to divide tho patri.
mony. To say that Thomas, the elder, was
his fayoritc and exact counterpart, moulded
in the same mould, is sufficient; but Harry,
the younger, was as different from him Us
night is from day.


He was handsome, quick and intelligent; /;
and through the liberality Of wealthy
bachelor uncle, his mothers brother, he had
received good education. If Thomas was
his fathers favorite, Harry was his pride !;
but he had in some degree become alienated
from him he obstinately refused to adopt
his peculiar ways Of thinking, and to submit
his business to his supervision. And after
stormy interview, in which Harry asked Of
his father pecuniary aid and was stoutly
denied, he was too proud to recur to the same
subject again, and after leaving the 'old
house, commenced businessin Liverpool upon
small scale.


Between Harry and his brother no feelings
either Of affection or sympathy ever existed.
Their characters were as far apart as the
north pole is FROM the south; their views,
feelings and tastes wholly unlike. Thomas
had long regarded him with jealous eye'
and dccp.rooted feelings Of animosity had for
years mnkled in his breast; and scarcely had
the breath of life departed from the body Of
their father before he was plotting means
and ways by which ho could appropriate to
himself the greater portion Of his wealth
One half Of the personality-and the miser
had not invested his gold inland, except his
mothers tbird-rightfully and lawfully
belonged to Harry; and how to get full and
entire possession Of all was the thought that
occupied his soul by day and night. lie had
plenty Of art and roguery, and had contrived
in his business transactions, for he, too, was
n merchant, to Feather his own nest in cases
equally difficult; but to accomplish this
required not only long head, buta thorough
knowledge Of certain points of law Of which
no was ignorant. But his lawyer, Dixon,
was man cunning and shrcwd, and like him
self ready to resort to any means to satisfy
his unbounded love Of gain, and to him he
determined to apply. As he expected, the
willy lawyer greedily caught at the bait. A
bargain was Immediately struck, an cIorbi.
tant price was agreed upon to be paid to
Dixon out Of the profits in case he succeeded