The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-02-29
THE jSTORY-TELLER.
TIL 4 NEW WITNESS.
a STORY OF TWO WILLS.

An odd sort of parsonage, as regarded
his pets, was old Mr.. Ovington, and he
had lndulged i'll his peculiarities to his
hearts content in these latter years, and
there, on the head of one gate-post,
while John Grapley leaned against the
other, perched the most disagreeablc fa-
vorite of them all, except, perhaps, the
undiscovered grandchildren, whose
lnopportune arrival had so wrung what
ought to have been John Grapley' s
heart.
On the top of the gate-post, as we
have said, sat the pet crow, with his
dark, brilliant, satirical eye turned know
ingly sidcwise, now at Johns moody
face, and now at the doctors buggy at
the roadside, Us much as to say:
81 know all about it. Don't you wish
that you did :"
John would have thrown brick at
his stepfather's tame crow, if he had
dared, and silenced its irritating cav
forever.
"The old man isn't sick" muttered
John but he always consults with Dr.
Prindle on money affairs, as much as on
physic. 1t was the doctor who drew the
other will, and 1 know what was in
that"
"Ca-a-a-caw !" cmphatically remark
ed Martin the crow.
"It's more than likely" John contin-
ued, with petulant glance at Martin,
"that the old man has got the doctor
here now to cook up some confounded
change i'll favor of that white-faced girl
and her brother. To rob me for the
children of a scapegrace whom he disin-
horitcd score of years ago. It's Il
shame ~
Ca-a-a-caw," philosophical Martin
"Shut up, you ill-natured croaller !!
Anyhow, can lounge around uuder the
window, and see if there's q chance of
knowing what they're at"
The low and vine-hung window of old
Mr.. Ovington's study was open wide
that summer afternoon, and q man who
chose to crouch under it, as John Crap
ley did, could hardly fail to hear most
of what might be said, in any ordinary
tone of voice, by those within the
room.
John had slipped noiselessly away
from the gate, leaving the tame crow to
his own meditations; but Martin was a
social bird, and had already completed
his observations of the doctors horse
and buggy. He was morally sure that
he could steal neither, and they We're
therefore matters of indifference to him.
But we must go a little ahead of Mar
tin.
When, some twenty minutes earlier,
Doctor Prindle had entered the house,
he had been ushered into the study by
sweet Alice Ovington herself, daughter
of that Adrian Ovington, whose runa-
way love-match had embittered so many
years of his fathers existence.
A lovely girl, indeed, was Alice, of not
yet eighteen summers; and it was no
wonder that her stern grandfather had
opened his heart to his sons dying petit
tition i'll behalf of her and her brother.
Doctor Prindle was one of those brisk
but dignifed old gentlemen who know
almost everything, say very little, and
are exceedingly valuable members of So
ciety. Alice told him that her brother
George was well, and would soon be
home from college, to spend the vacation
with his grandfather.
:" Yes, Alice" said the doctor A" let
him spend it all here. 1t will be better"
And then he disappeared through the
study door, closing it fast behind him.
Alice hurried away, to attend to house
hold affairs, and the muffled sound of
voices from the study died quickly away.
Very few words passed at first between
Mr.. Ovington and his counsellor, and
the old mans red and choleric visage
betrayed no atom of emotion, as he took
from its envelope a paper of very mod
crate Dimensions, and spread it ON the
table, saying
"There it is, doctor. 1 guess you'll
find it right That's the will"
"Sensible thing. Glad of it," growled
the doctor, as he settled himself in his
chair.
A moment more, and he was deeply
engaged ON the precious documents.
Slowly and carefully he read it down,
as if he did not mean to do it twice,
and when he had completed it he only
said
"Correct. And now what 7"
"Ca-a-a-caw !" croaked doubtful
voice at the window and then Martin