I also
bequeath to him any property, great or small, that may be in my
possession at the time of my demise, even though it be no more than
the collar-button with which he so kindly supplied me this morning,
and which I shall always retain as a mark of his devotion, knowing
well what it means for a man to deprive himself of a cherished
belonging."
This was written in a very fine, cramped hand, and there was ample
room at the bottom for his own signature and those of the witnesses,
although it must be said that the elegant symmetry of the document was
destroyed by the bulging scrawl of the bailiff, whose name was Abraham
Kosziemanowski and who had to turn the final two syllables down at a
sharp angle in order to get the whole of his signature on the card.
Bradlee, Sigsbee & Oppenheim, on the receipt of this jocose
instrument, immediately communicated with their once magnificent
client, who laconically instructed them to put it away in a very safe
place as it might come in handy some time. To their own and to his
subsequent surprise, they DID put it away in a safe place, but forgot
all about it until he walked in upon them fifteen years afterwards and
revealed himself as the great and only Joseph H.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110