Weaker than a Woman — page 17: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

rong ‘| ere Ee ’ ane p Paam™ . Ot anr es oe Y Cw - -“ oe ae eceie Oees) Pay ie = he * sO oo - a t. » wat se rm. . - > ‘ 4 r * Yrorst a ae a fee Fy : , . 4 a Ps Fi dyke “, iyessy ~ . ae ee . » ae J on tes Pg ee . ee ae . Se5 a ™ a 8 WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. Three years later Mrs. Hardman died, and her nephew, her heir-at-law, came upon the scene. Darcy Lonsdale had all her papers, an exact list of all her moneys, her deeds, leases, documents of various kinds—but he had no will. ‘* Did she make a will?” asked the heir-at-law. “I cannot tell,” replied Darcy Lonsdale. ‘Ihave cer- tainly drawn up no will for her.”’ “ Has she ever mentioned a will?” pursued James Hard- man. Suddenly the lawyer remembered that she had men- - tioned a will, and his face flushed as he thought of the conversation. James Hardman looked at him suspiciously. “She did speak of her will to me once; she told me that I should not draw it up for her, and asked me to name _ some lawyer. I told her that George Malcolm was an hon- est lawyer and an honest man; but I never heard whether she sent for him or not.”’ “You know, of course, of what her property consists, and that I am her heir-at-law.’’ “Yes,” was the cheerful reply; “we have often talked about you. I can give you the particulars of the late Mrs. Hardman’s property. She owned the estate called Wood- burn, consisting of a large farm and a good substantial house; and she had, besides this, twelve thousand pounds In the Funds.’’ : * And that is, of course, mine?” said James Hardman. “IT know nothing as to that,” replied Darcy Lonsdale. “I did not make her will, nor did she ever ask my advice about it.’’ ) After the funeral George Malcolm came with the will and the instructions that he had received from Mrs. Hardman. It was read aloud; and then it was discovered that the lady had left Woodburn and six thousand pounds to her nephew, James Hardman, while to her true friend and adviser, Darcy Lonsdale, in acknowledgment of his long friendship and faithful services, she had bequeathed the sum of six thousand pounds. : On hearing that the lawyer hurried home, delighted with the intelligence, to his wife. What a vista of com- fort this legacy opened out to them! For the first time in _ his long honorable career the lawyer felt some relief—he could meet his expenses now, and when he died there would be something for his wife and children. Nor was his wife less delighted. In her heart she had longed for the same luxuries that the wives of other pro- fessional men enjoyed—for a drawing-room like Mrs. Mer- Gomicbooks.co a ee” etal *, 28 « “ ‘Sie eS ee : ‘ 1. ~~ | a a Dn J =a ~~. . ft er. ‘’. fred”,