' ' ' ' ' - y ' ii i j l.
THE COURIER
The Courier
Published Every Saturday
- STORIES -
Entered In the Postofflce at Lincoln as second
class matter.
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y - I Mi
Father Claims His Child
A pretty little six-year-old girl sat
tearfully in her grandmother's lap in
Judge Frost's courtroom the other day.
Near by sat her father. On opposite
sides of the long table were the two
attorneys find about the room were
scattered a. number of interested spec
tators. The object of it all was to find out
which was entitled to the possession,
care and custody of the little one. The
father. George Weeks, a railroad man
of Chicago, told the court that he was
able, wiling and anxious to have the
child: that there awaited her in the
'"" city by the lake a comfortable home
and a kind stepmother. The grand
mother was loth to give up the child.
She said it had been given her by her
dying daughter, its mother, and she
had promised to care for it as long as
she lived.
It was a difficult problem, but the
court filially concluded that it was for
the best interests of the little one that
she be given to her father. The grand
mother, however, was given the right
to keep the child a few weeks and to
visit it at reasonable hours when she
desired.
Tonight she leaves, with her grand
mother for her Chicago home. As the
portrait shows, the little girl is of un
common prettiness. Her winsome ways,
while her grandmother resided at the
Grand hotel Inst winter, won for her
the affection of W. H. Reed, a wealthy
and childless widower of this city. who.
it was said, was desirous of adopting
her. This her relatives would not con
sent to do. but out of compliment to
him and partly because the grand
mother desired to keep her where
abouts from the father, the child was
known at the Bryant kindergarten,
where she was a pupil, as Gladys Reed.
It was only after a chase extending
over thousands of miles that the father
finally secured possession of his child,
and then only through recourse to the
writ of habeas corpus. Through Uli
Ia. he pursued the fleeing grandmother.
la, hepursued the fleeing prandmother.
Then he lost the trail, only to pick it
up, months later. In Lincoln.
A 'Woman's Excus
When a woman takes a drink of
whisky It takes her from fifteen to
twenty minutes to explain why she
took it. It was because she felt cold
and wanted to warm up. or she felt
sick and thought it might make her
feel better, or she was tired and nerv
ous, and took It to "quiet her nerves."
etc. She always closes her remarks
by saying that she hate the "vile
stuff" Atchison Globe
Story of a Will
"When I was a young lawyer." said
the Judge, "there was a stationery store
a few doors from the courthouse, kept
by an ambitious chap by the name of
Hr.igg. Bragg used to say that since
he had that name he might as well lie
up to it. He was a wideawake, hustling
fellow and a great believer in advertis
ing. Bragg did a big business with
lawyers and he took a great pride in
keeping the legal part of his stock com
plete and up-to-date. If he heard of
some legal blank that lie didn't have in
stock, he'd send for a supply even
though he didn't get a call for it once
in three years.
"It got to be a sort of joke with the
lawyers, and they made a point of go
ing in and asking for extraordinary
legal blank that wouldn't be used In
the state once in a lifetime. Bragg
took the joke all right. Once in a while
they'd catch him, and every time they
did he'd ask them across the street and
buy them something to relieve their
disappointment. But if he happened to
have what they wanted they'd pay for
It, and pay well.
"Then one day on both of his show
windows, in big gold letters, he had
the legend inscribed: 'If it's a legal
document, we've got it!" The phrase
was so catchy that before long the
lawyers' clerks and typewriters and
courthouse attendants were using it In
their conversation anywhere from six
to fifty times a day, and to express
any idea. When Bragg saw how things
were going he sent to Washington and
had the legend registered and used it
as a trade mark.
"Just across the hall from my office
a young fellow by the name of Roger
Armstrong was working as a draughts
man for a civil engineer. Armstrong s
father was a retired sugar refiner, who
lived on a big place about twenty miles
out of town. I believe the boy had bf en
pretty wild while he was in college and
just after he got out. and he wound up
with some adventure with a chorus
girl, who had three or four husbands
at the time and should have known
better.
"The old man had been pretty sore
on the boy off and on ever since he had
become a freshman, but I doubt If
anvthing serious would have come of
it if there hadn't been a stepmother in
the case. The stepmother had three
children when she married the elder
Armstrong, and it probably seemed
hard to her that two-thirds of her hus
band's millions should go to Roger.
She was a clever woman and she ex
cused Roger's misdoings to his father
with such skill that when the chorus
girl episode was at its height old Arm
strong tore up his will and cut Roger
off with a ten-dollar bill, at the same
time sending him word of what be had
done.
"The shock had a good effect on Rog
er. He settled down and began to
show -what was in him. and it was pret
ty good stuff.
"When the old millionaire began to
feel that his grip on earth was weak
ening he began to get lonely and some
how neither the stepmother nor her
beautiful children could fill the voir!.
Finally he began to call for Roger. His
wife said he was wandering, but the
old butler had a fast horse put into a
buggy and he didn't draw rein until
the son was sitting on the side of his
father's bed. And there, two days be
fore Armstrong died, he signed another
will that gave Roger what belonged to
him.
'The first will the old man had made
was locked up in a safe deposit vault
in town, and when he had taken to his
bed his wife had taken charge of all
his keys for safekeeping. The second
will was turned over to Roger. What
did Roger do the second day after his
father's funeral but get mixed up in a
ferryboat collision while he was on his
way to town with the will in his pock
et, jump overboard to sae an old wo
man and discover when they pulled
him li.uk on deck that the papers he
carried in his pocket were gone!
"Roger and I were pretty good friends
and he came to me at once. The butler
and the family lawyer had witnessed
the will, but they were notoriously op
posed to the stepmother and with the
oltl will in existence and the new one
missing, she was bound to put up an
ugly tight.
"We didn't lose any time. We went
over those two colliding ferry boa In
with a tine tooth comb and put the
crews through the third degree. We
got a launch ami explored the river
foot by foot and the bay outside for
half a dozen miles up and down the
coast. Then we offered a reward of
$5,000 and hail an innumerable mosquito
fleet busy for a week or more trying to
earn the money.
"About three weeks after the will had
been lost Roger and I were on the
way to talk over a proposition the oth
er side had made him. They had of
fered Roger $25,000 cash to relinquish
all claims to his father's estate and he
was half inclined to take it and go to
China or South America.
"We passed by Bragg's store and I
asked Roger to stop with me while I
bought a box of pens. While I bought
the pens Roger looked about him. It
seemed as if that sign, 'If it's a legal
document, we've got it." stared down at
you from every spot on that store's
walls. Roger looked around at them
for a minute or two, then turned to
Bragg.
" 'You confounded old humbug," he
said. 'What do you mean by plastering
your shop up with that lying old chest
nut?" "Bragg paused in the act of tying up
the box of pens.
" "What do you mean''' he asked with
dignity.
"Roger was In that state of reckless
hopelessness In which a man will Joke
with a guillotine.
" 'If It's a legal document we've got
It." he quoted. 'Well. I'll take the last
will of Amasa Armstrong, please."
" "I don't give my personal attention
to small orders." said Bragg, 'but a
clerk will wait on you. Jim.' he called
back, 'the last will and testament of
Amasa Armstrong for this gentleman.'
"Roger and I stared at Bragg, not
knowing exactly whether he had undcr
stixxl correctly or had gone suddenly
crazy.
" "Yes. sir." the clerk replied anil in
another moment he came forward and
handed Roger a rumpled, water-stained
document.
"Roger turned ashen when he laid his
eyes upon It. Then he opened It and
fainted. Two weeks later he crumpled
his stepmother's case and came into
his own.
"The day he got his verdict be went
in and fell on Bragg's neck.
" 'Now liK)k here," he said, "I want to
know where you found that will."
"Bragg never moved a muscle.
" "If It's a legal document." he said,
'we've got it." And that's the most that
anybody ever got out of him on the
subject.
"But Roger spoiled that boast later.
For, in the twenty years that he
doubled and tripled his millions In rail
roading. Bragg was his right-hand
man." New York Sun.
The Old Town
For the Courier, Flora Bullock.
I wish the editor of the Courier had
expressed her observations on autumn
Ganoimgs
"'Pharmacy
!!
i
1400 O Street . . . Open nil Night
Lowney's and Allegretti's Chocolates
HOT SODAS IN SEASON
RUDGE & GUENZEL CO.
1118-1126 N Street
This Year's Presents
Will gie as much pleasure next year ami the yea rafter, if you choose them with taste anil
.. 1 r i.n :. l.p...c. ..!. in tit-, nr tliri'i n'ik?
care. ny iiuy a gut iiiai - """" ........ ... -
If iudoiilit. visit our store
furnishing.
Our mntiy floors are filled with novel anil artistic house-
Sale of Oriental Rugs this Week
. $ JF Pa5e
-- I 1
Highly polished golden oak Li
brary Table, carved claw feet, blind
drawer.and the heavy double top is
finest of figured oak. C -y t-f
Top 2t32, . . . h,iO'3u
Same table as above, but with
out claw- feet, top 20x32, . 12.50
Top 40x20 inches 15.00
Top ttx'iS inches, . . . 1B.B0
Top Sx30 in., wax or polish, 19.00
Oriental Rug Sale
A display of Oriental anil other
Kugs that has 110 equal in the West.
LOT 1. Carahaugh, Aratolian. ami Sliirvan Kugs. about 3x5 feet, prayer rugs, in
bright or dull effects, worth 12.50, ... $7.00
Other Lot.-, $13.50, IS. 75. 33.00, and upward. See Sunday's Journal or Tuesday's News.
Morris Ctiairs H
Our -pecia! is a large weathered or waxed
finish golden oak Morris Chair, carved claw feet
and front post, spring under the hair filled cash
ion, brass rod and adjustment, tapestry, velour
or corduroy cushions, as desired $1 1 50
Others, $3.50, 0.50, 15.00, IS 00, 27 00.
Gunn Elastic Bookcase
Vo metal side strips, no protruding shelves,
door works on roller liearings, no curtain
rollers, or sTirin? ilpviri' to i?ive trouble.
L:...lwwt ....Til.., .filr tT?ilnmmr tinili
t ,il-Ml-' K"" .r.., ...p,u..j ..... -..,
weathered oak, flemish oak. wax finish gold
en oak. $2.75 to $3.50 per section.
r ? -v JJH
.m
H Jv3 1 ft'I 4 w-.s.s5?h
1 V
Lincoln''
Hi
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"1 Rudge & Guenzel Co.
Three Acres
Floor
Space
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