"Did he owe much, think likely?" asked Captain Elisha.

"Apparently not. Very little beyond the usual bills of a household."

"Yes, yes. Grocer and butcher and baker and suchlike. Well, I guess they won't have to put in a keeper. Heave ahead."

"'Second:--I give, devise and bequeath all my estate, both real and personal, to my brother, Elisha Warren, if he survive--'"

The captain gasped. "To me?" he cried, in utter amazement. "He leaves it to _me_? 'Bije leaves--say, Mr. Graves, there's some mistake here somewhere, sure! And besides, you said--"

"Just a minute, Captain Warren, if you please. If you'll be patient and not interrupt, I'll try to make the whole matter plain."

"Well, if you can do _that_, you'll have King Solomon and all his wisdom beat a mile, that's all I've got to say. Go on."

"'To my brother, Elisha Warren, if he survive me, _in trust_, nevertheless, for the following purpose, to wit:--

"'To invest the same and to use the income thereof for the education and maintenance of my two children, Caroline Edgecombe Warren--'"

"Edgecombe? Named for some of his wife's folks, I presume likely. Excuse me for puttin' my oar in again. Go on."

"'And Stephen Cole Warren--'"

"_That's_ his wife, sartin. She was a Cole. I swan, I beg your pardon."

"'Until the elder, Caroline Edgecombe Warren, shall have reached her twenty-first birthday, when one-half of the princ.i.p.al of said estate, together with one-half of the acc.u.mulated interest, shall be given to her, and the trust continued for the education and maintenance of my son, Stephen Cole Warren, until he shall have reached his twenty-first birthday, when I direct that the remainder be given to him.

"'Third:--I appoint as testamentary guardian of my said children my said brother, Elisha Warren.

"'Fourth:--I appoint as sole executor of this, my last will and testament, my said brother, Elisha Warren.

"'Fifth:--Imposing implicit trust and confidence in Elisha Warren, my brother, I direct that he be not required to give bond for the performance of any of the affairs or trusts to which he has been herein appointed.'

"The remainder," concluded Graves, refolding the will, "is purely formal. It is dated May 15th, three years ago. Your brother, Captain Warren, evidently realized, although no one else seems to have done so, the precarious state of his health, and prepared, as every careful person should, for the great emergency."

The attorney removed his eyegla.s.ses and rubbed them with his handkerchief. Captain Elisha sat silent, staring at the fire. After an interval, Graves spoke again.

"Of course, Captain," he went on, "my errand is now plain. I come to acquaint you with your brother's last wishes and to ascertain whether or not you are willing to accept the trust and responsibility he has laid upon you. As you doubtless know, the state provides a legal rate of reimburs.e.m.e.nt for such services as yours will--or may--be. Ahem!"

"May be? You mean I ain't got to do this thing unless I want to?"

"Certainly. You have the right to renounce the various appointments, in which case another executor, trustee, and guardian will be appointed.

I realize, and I'm sure that your brother's children will realize, your hesitance in a.s.suming such a responsibility over persons whom you have never even met."

"Yes, I guess we'll all realize it; you needn't worry about that. Look here, do the children know I'm elected?"

"Yes. Of course, the will has been read to them."

"Hum! I s'pose likely they was overcome with joy, wa'n't they?"

Graves bit his lip. Remembering the comments of Miss Caroline and her brother when they learned of their uncle's appointment, he had difficulty in repressing a smile.

"Well," he replied, slowly, "of course, one could scarcely expect them to rejoice. They have never seen you. In fact, I doubt if either of them knew their father had a brother, living."

"Y-e-e-s. That part don't surprise me. But the rest of it does. By the miracles of the prophets! the rest of it does! That 'Bije--'Bije--should leave his children and their money to _me_ to take care of is pa.s.sin'

human belief, as our old minister used to say--.... Humph! I s'pose likely, Mr. Graves, you'd like to have me say yes or no to the thing while you're here, hey?"

Graves nodded. "It would be well to do so," he said. "The settlement of the estate must be taken in hand as soon as possible. The law so directs."

"Yes, I see that. Well, what would you advise my doin'?"

To this direct question the lawyer returned a noncommittal answer.

"I'm afraid that must be answered by yourself alone, Captain Warren," he said. "Of course, the acceptance of the trust will necessarily involve much trouble and inconvenience, especially to one of your--er--settled and--er--conservative--I judge merely from what you have said--your conservative habits. The estate is large, the investments are, doubtless, many and varied, and the labor of looking into and investigating them may require some technical skill and knowledge of finance. Yes."

"Um-hm.... Well, I judge that that kind of skill and knowledge could be hired, if a feller felt like payin' fair wages; hey?"

"Oh, yes, yes. Any good lawyer could attend to that, under the supervision of the executor, certainly. But there are other inconveniences to a--a--"

"Country jay like me. I understand. Go ahead."

"I mean that you would probably be required to spend much, or all, of the next two or three years in New York."

"Would, hey? I didn't know but bein' as a guardian has entire charge of the children and their money and all--I understand that's what he does have--he could direct the children fetched down to where _he_ lived, if he wanted to. Am I wrong?"

"No," the lawyer's hesitancy and annoyance was plainly evident. "No-o.

Of course, that _might_ be done. Still, I--"

"You think that wouldn't cause no more rejoicin' than some other things have? Yes, yes; I cal'late I understand, Mr. Graves. Well, I guess you'll have to give me to-night to chew over this. I guess you will.

It's come on me so sudden, 'Bije's death and all, that I want to be by myself and think. I don't want to seem unsociable or lackin' in hospitality. The whole house is yours. Help yourself to it. But when I'm caught in a clove hitch, I just have to set down and think myself out of it. I _have_ to. I was built and launched that way, I guess, and maybe you'll excuse me."

"Certainly, Captain Warren. You're quite right in wishing to deliberate on so important a matter. And, if you will excuse me in return, I believe I will go to my room. I've had a rather wearing day."

"And a damp evenin'. Yes, I'll excuse and sympathize with you, too. I'll see you to your room, and I'll hope you'll have consider'ble more sleep than I'm likely to get. Abbie!... Abbie!... Fetch Mr. Graves's lamp, won't you, please?"

It was after two the next morning before Captain Elisha rose from his chair by the fire and entered his bed chamber. Yet, when Atwood Graves came down to breakfast, he found his host in the sitting room awaiting him.

"Afore we tackle Abbie's pancakes and fishb.a.l.l.s, Mr. Graves," said the captain, "let's get the rest of that will business off our minds. Then we can have the pancakes to take the taste out of our mouths, as you might say. And let me ask you one more question. This--er--er--Caroline and Stephen, they're used to livin' pretty well--fashionable society, and the like of that, hey?"

"Yes. Their home was on Fifth Avenue, and the family moved in the best circles."

"Hum! I should imagine life on twenty-odd thousand a year must be pretty much all circles, one everlastin' 'turn your partners.' Well, Mr.

Graves, my circles down here are consider'ble smaller, but they suit me.

I'm worth twenty-odd thousand myself, not in a year, but in a lifetime.

I'm selectman and director in the bank and trustee of the church. When I holler 'Boo,' the South Denboro folks--some of them, anyhow--set up and take notice. I can lead the grand march down in this neighborhood once in a while, and I cal'late I'm prettier leadin' it than I would be doin'

a solitaire jig for two years on the outside edge of New York's best circles. And I'm mighty sure I'm more welcome. Now my eyesight's strong enough to see through a two-foot hole after the plug's out, and I can see that you and 'Bije's children won't shed tears if I say no to that will. No offense meant, you know; just common sense, that's all."

This was plain speaking. Mr. Graves colored, though he didn't mean to, and for once could not answer offhand.

"So," continued the captain, "I'll ease your and their minds by sayin'

that, the way I feel now, I probably sha'n't accept the trust. I _probably_ sha'n't. But I won't say sure I won't, because--well, because 'Bije was my brother; he was that, no matter what our diff'rences may have been. And I know--I _know_ that there must be some reason bigger than 'implicit trust' and the other May-baskets for his appointin' me in his will. What that reason is I _don't_ know--yet."