In Chancery
By U IIXIAM D. CARTER
Copyrih fcy Amrk-an lra Am-
elation. l'JU.
Wben the utorm of the civil war
broke over the i-ouutry In 11 John
AbwromWe, a jtouiik tnna of twenty
two, who bad twvu rpHirtug hinwWf
to tako bU father's 'ltT as president
and owner of the coutndllnjr tnteret
In the Abetrotubie M.inufaeturin
company, like joott youuic wen of
plrlt at that period. Insisted on Join
ing tb Cnlott army. Ills father, who
. wm preparing to retire. ho dlsap
pointed and angered . at thia course
tbat he told hla aoa to go to tbe war
and he hoped he would never cooie
bark.
"I aball keep Jane Wetherell here
with me. aaid tbe old man, "to take
rare of the house and be a comfort i
in your atead and shall lea re her ev
ery cent of my property."
"Do so," replied the on. "and yon
may count on me not trying to break
tbe wflL I aball claim nothing of yon
or what yon leave behind yon."
Jane Wetherell was not related to
the Aberrrorobiea. 8he waa a connec
tion of Mrs. Abercrombie, who had
brought her Into tbe house for a com
panion and nurse, and when Mrs. Aber
. crombie died her husband had contin
ued to rely on the girl for varlon
comforts, Including reading to him.
nine bis eyes were weak. Wben the
old Bun saw John's name published
among tbe killed at the battle of An
tJetam his heart softened, and he re
gretted his past action toward his som
Tortwer yert Jihe WfiereinT I
ear of the old man. He said be would
make her comfortable 'after bis death.
. and it waa generally supposed that
she would Inherit all his property,
though no on kvew of tbe parting
scene between him and bis aon and
the father's threat
There were indications that Jennie
Wetherell bad had a love affair. She
never accepted any marked attention
from any young man, and she appear
ed to have suffered a blight These
were tbe principal reasons why those
' who knew her said that she had been
, crossed in love and would not marry.
Wben Mr. Abercrombie died every
' on waa surprised at two things Orst
that he left a much larger estate than
tt was supposed he had possessed and,
secondly, that be had made no will.
The latter of these surprises waa the
snore a surprise becanse by not mak
ing a will he left his estate to be con
tested for by a host of relatives. In
none of whom he had taken any inter
est, while Jennie Wetherell, in whose
reins there waa none of his blood, was
left out hy the law of inheritance en
tirely. An account of thia condition of
things got into the newspapers and
among other things stated was that
the body of John Abercrombie had
never been recovered and waa sup
posed to lie either in a trench or under
one of the mute army of headstones
marked "Unknown." Instantly there
sprang up as if from the grave three
different men who claimed to be the
said John Abercrombie. One said be
had been badly wounded, taken to a
hospital and, recovering, had deserted;
another that he had been hit in the
bead by a mlnle ball and the mem
ory knocked oat of him till recently.
The third declared that he had been
captured,, taken to a southern prison
and on being exchanged had gone
west, where he had since lived incog
nita Any on of these men It he could
, have established his Identity with that
of John Abercrombie would have in
herited the whole estate. But they
were all working on a very small pros
pect None of them had any papers to
show that he had been in the army,
and only one manifested any familiar
ity with military affairs. Jane Weth
erell at once pronounced them all Im
postors. Had ahe had any legal claim
on the estate her word would have
counted for little or nothing. As it
was, it counted for a good deal.
Since the settlement of the estate
was In, a Jumble Jane Wetherell was
left by tbe chancery court in charge
of the house in which she had so long
lived. A year elapsed, at the end of
which 107 names of relatives of the de
ceased Abercrombie were handed in to
the court as claimants for a share of
his estate, and there were more to
come. It began to look aa if no one
would be rich from tbe estate unless
one of these men who bad risen up out
of tbe earth could prove himself to be
John Alierrrombte.
One day there was a wedding at the
Abercrombie bouse. Jennie Wetherell
was tbe bride. Who the groom was no
one seemed to know. There were no
cards, no invitations. Only a few wit
nesses were present, and they were
servants. As soon as the ceremony
had been performed tbe groom went to
the chancery court and presented dis
charge papers from the Union army
and other proofs that he was Sergeant
John Abercrombie.
Tbe case of tbe relatives collapsed.
John AberrTomble had gone to the wor
partly because Jennie Wetherell had
refused to marry him. After his de
parture she had discovered that she
loved him. Finding his name had
been reported among tbe killed after
the battle of Antletam, he had taken
advantage of tbe error to disappear
from the world. Being badly wound
ed, he was discharged and went to
Colorado, where he had lived till in a
newspaper he had seen an account of
the clamor for his father's estate, when
he had returned and learned from Miss
Wetherell of her mistake In refusing
him.
Aeeeptlng the Inevitable.
Wonderful are tbe Hindus for ie
. ceftiDg the inevitable. Tall one of
these tbat be must tako caator oil. and
he will drain the oleaginous cup to the
. dreg and smack his lips. Tell him
that bla leg must be amputated, and he
; will present the limb for dismember
ment and smile as ho sees It severed.
Tell him tbat ha Is to be hanged, and
with no touch of amotion whatever" be
will reply, "Jo hookra" ("whatever is
ordered"), just as if bo bad been told
tbat be muit have hla corns ' cut
Blackwood's Magazine.
There are a number of ambitious candidates competing for $1,200.00 in prizes to bo awarded
by the MORNING ENTERPRISE on September 2nd; who are anxious to get your support.
You are no doubt acquainted with a number of the ladies in the Contest, and would lend your
assistance in the matter if asked to do so. If you will select a favorite candidate and notify
her or the Contest Department of The Enterprise your communication will receive prompt
attention. The prizes as described herewith will be given away absolutely free, and your
subscription may be the means of making some candidate the happy recipient of either the
:Graiid-Upright-Kimbaim
Musical Education, a Business Scholarship or a Solid Gold Watch when the names of the
wining candidates are announced. DELAYS ARE DANGEROUS Do it to-day and you
will encourage the young lady whom you have selected to win.
VOTES ALLOWED
ON PAID-IN-ADVANCE SUBSCRIP
TIONS OR RENEWALS ARE
AS FOLLOWS:
Six months' subscription to the Daily Enter
prise, by carrier, $2.00, by mail, $1.50, 400
votes. ;
One year's subscription, $4 by carrier, $3
by mail, 1 ,000 votes.
Two years' subscription $8 by carrier, $6
by mail, 2,500 votes.
Three years subscription, by carrier $12,
by mail $9, 5,000 votes.
Fivd years' subscription, by carrier $20, by
mail $15, 10.000 votes.
One year's subscription Weekly Enterprise,
$1.50, 500 votes.
Money must accompany all subscriptions
before votes will be issued.
FIRST PRIZES
Two Upright Kimball Pianos
VALUE
$400
Each
esOTEjra VALUE
t fil $400
j
Purchased from Portland's Leading Music House
EILERS' & CO., 7th and Alder Sts.
SUBSCRIBERS
Fill in the name of candidate fo
whom you wish to favor wU
your votes with remittance to
your subscription or renewal
to Contest Department The Enterprise.
Add
Name of subscriber.
reis.
Month.
For M
Veto
Candidate.
District
Second Pfffces
Two "20th Centtiry"
Sewing Machines
(latest model)
New Home
Df op Head
$75.00
EACH
Third and Fourth Prizes
MUSICAL EDUCATION
BUSINESS EDUCATION
WHICH?
Four Prices to be
Awarded
The Enterprise has used every care
in the selection of these prizes.and has
secured scholarships in two of the fore
most educational institution in the
State of Oregon.
FIFTH PRIZES
TWO SOLID GOLD
AX7 A TVTTr?o
J1LL V.nCO (Ladles sUe)
Purchased J
at S
K-I02I
Burmeister &, Andf estf
The Leading Jewelers
of 619 Main St., OregonJCitf, Or-
The above prizes will be awarded Saturday niqht Sentemh o . .
of your favorite candidate is not .entered in ih5pbep 2n(l- If the name
1V- ,cu send it in tn-drw
. . - - r - ' .
For further particu
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