Felix Scragge's Next of Kin

by Judge Clark

An expert conveyancer is Death. At a stroke, he makes over to Dives junior all the possessions of Dives senior, leaving the latter to go begging in another world even for a drop of water. Hard on Dives senior, you will say, but quite considerate, you must allow, toward Dives junior, whose grief might prove overpowering but for the distraction afforded by new responsibilities.

But we are putting the moral before the story.

Felix Scragge had griped and ground and cheated—cheated himself of every comfort and others of their money—till there he lay, at last, murdered for his pelf. It was a sickening sight, that ghastly, mutilated corpse, on whose features death had crystallized a look of agony and terror. Men shuddered at it; and one could not bear even to look upon it; but that was a distant relative, who was next of kin to the deceased, and it was natural he should be more deeply affected than the rest.

The iron safe in Mr. Scragge’s bedroom was found open, and Mr. Scragge’s body stretched before it. But the murderer had risked his neck to little purpose; for Mr. Scragge’s money was all snug in bank, the safe containing nothing but papers “valuable only to the owner;” which must have been great solace to the distant relative and next of kin, Giles Hardy by name.

One evening, a month later, a gray-haired man and a young and beautiful maiden sat together in earnest conference. The faces of both wore a pained and troubled look.

“Do not press me further to-night, father,” the girl pleaded. “Spare me yet a few hours the shame of proclaiming my own… Read More