Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-09-20
THE SEALED WILL.

4
Through everv i'll our stav and trust.
d THE SEALED WILL.
/ "Dou you suppose, mamma, IN case
the money goes from me that it will be
| given to you Z"
| Dear child, how can I ever guess?
| Your aunt, remember, is your fathers
sister, not mine; SO it is scarcely like
" she has thought of me, L am afraid
the heir in the sealed will is John
Garland. ~ r..f -.
Mamma p
ut is only guess-work, dear"
'But he is unfit to have the respon-
| sibility of money a man known to be
a gambler, a drinking man, if not an
actual drunkard." I"
very true. Yet he is the nearest
relative your aunt J essie had, except
ing only yourself. -
Il can scarcely think Aunt Jessie
/ would leave him s50,000."
MY dear, she has left it to you, her
niece and namesake."
But on the condition that / shall
never marry. IF do, the sealed will
in the hands of her lawyer is to be
opened, and the money pass from me
to the heir or heirs named therein
You must know me well enough to be
sure that the money would never
tempt me to break my engagement;
vet for your sake wish-Oh, why did
Aunt Jessie leave it to me at all 2"
"Do not think of me. 1 can live as
we have done since father died. But,
JESSIE" said Mrs. Markham's face
looked grave and sad, there is one
view of the matter you do not take" "
Il dare say there are fifty. Remem-
Der we have now had only an hour or
two to think, since the letter came
from the lawyer. But what is the view
you mean 2" ia
"Charlie. " rsg
Charlie"
Jessie's large brown eyes were open
ed to their widest extent as she repeat
ed the name, adding
why, | haven't thought of any
thing but Charlie. y Isg
Butt mean-dear me p said the
mother, shrinking. from uttering her
own thoughts. you know, dear, you
have always been considered your
aunt's heiress and Charles is young
and only commencing practice of
his profession. 1t may be that he
1 will"
"Be false to me for the sake of
money?' interrupted Jessie, with the
rosiest of cheeks and brightest of eyes
I'VE will soon test that" and she
drew writing table to her side Il
will send him a copy of the lawyers
letter, and"-here her voice and eyes
softened-"the assurance that Aunt
Jessie's will will make no difference to
me-"
Mrs. Markham made no objection
to this step, but after the letter was
signed, sealed and dispatched to the
! village by Polly, the only servant of
Mrs. Markham's household, she called
Jessie again to her side.
Over the fair, sweet face of the
| young girl there had crept shade of
| gravity and perplexity since the arri-
val of the lawyers letter that clouded
the brown eyes and gave the sensitive,
mobile mouth frmer pressure than
was quite natural. Life had not been
all sunshine for Jessie Markham, yet
hers was one of those buoyant natures
that find the silver lining for every
cloud, and coax some sweet from every
bitter dose. Her father had been dead
| for six years, and his business affairs
having been complicated in some way
not comprehensive to feminine intel
lects, his widow and child found them
selves reduced to an income that bare
" covered the necessities of life. They
left the city, and took small cottage
in the small village of Merton, where
Mrs. Markham soon procured class
of music scholars, and herself gave
Jessie lessons in the higher branches
of English studies, German, French
and music, till, at eighteen, her daught
er also procured a few pupils in Ian
guages. They were very happy in their
mutual affection, in the love of their
pupils, and the cares of their little
household. EE
1t has been understood from the
time Jessie was tiny baby that she
would inherit the fortune of her maiden
aunt, for whom she was named, and
who came from the city every summer
to spend month or two in the little
cottage, always bringing pretty presents
to brighten the home of her brothers
widow, and lavishing the tenderest
affection upon ner neiee.
Yet, though Jessie herself had
known of her Aunt's supposed inten-
tions, neither she nor her mother had
ever made calculations upon fortune
dependent upon the death of the one
for whom they felt the warmest affee-
ton, and the idea that others could be
influenced by it was new thought to
the young girl.
She had given to her betrothed,
Charlie Seaton, the first love of her
young heart, believing his love was all
her own. In the six years she had
lived at Merton, child and maiden.
Charlie Seaton had been her devoted
admirer from the first, and had recent
ly finished his course of law study and
been admitted to the bar. His fortune,
inherited from his father, was very
small, barely covering his expenditure
for board and clothing; but he was
energetic, industrious, and without
brilliant talent, a clear-headed, intelli-
gent student, promising to make a capa-
Bile lawyer, if not shining light at
the bar IS
Answering her mothers call, Jessie
nestled down in her favorite seat at
he's feet, saying, sadly: .
IF Charley was Influenced by any
hope of Aunt Jessie's money. mamma,
, it is better to know it now. l had sup
posed we would have to wait for our
wedding day until he had some prac-
tice, and you know have little sum
of my own toward first expenses: We
could live here and there. [ will not
think of it any more till the answer
comes to my letter"
while YOU wait, my dear" said her
mother, shall tell you what | think
I, is the explanation of your aunt's sin
gular will? You, who know her only
: as the gentle, sad woman of her latter
years, can scarcely imagine. ! pre-
sumo that she was once as bright,