of his will here, and--"

"Wait, wait! let me think. Left his children to me! . . . to ME. Mr. Graves, had 'Bije lost all his money?"

"No. He was not the millionaire that many thought him. Miss Warren and her brother will be obliged to economize somewhat in their manner of living. But, with care AND economy, their income should be quite sufficient, without touching the principal, to--"

"Hold on again; the income, you say. What is that income?"

"Roughly speaking, a mere estimate, about twenty to twenty-five thousand yearly."

Captain Elisha had stooped to pick up the pipe he had dropped. His fingers touched it, but they did not close. Instead he straightened up in his chair as if suffering from an electric shock.

"Mr. Graves," he began; "Mr. Graves, are you cra--. No, I asked you that before. But--but twenty THOUSAND a--a year! For mercy sakes, what's the principal?"

"In the neighborhood of five hundred thousand, I believe. Of course, we had no authority to investigate thoroughly. That will be a part of your duties, but--"

"S-shh! Let me soak this into my brains a little at a time. 'Bije leaves his children five hundred thousand, half a million, and--and they've got to ECONOMIZE! And I'm . . . Would you mind readin' me that will?"

The attorney drew a long envelope from his pocket, extracted therefrom a folded document, donned a pair of gold-mounted eyeglasses, and began to read aloud.

The will was short and very concise. "'I, Abijah Rodgers Warren, being of sound mind--'"

"You're sartin that part's true, are you?" broke in the captain.

Graves nodded, rather impatiently, and continued. "'Of sound mind, memory and understanding, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament, in manner following, that is to say:--

"'First:--I direct my executor hereinafter named to pay my just debts and funeral expenses as soon as maybe convenient after my decease.'"

"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 principal of said estate, together with one-half of the accumulated 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 eyeglasses 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 reimbursement 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 assuming 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 passin' 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