Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-09-11


to leave it. He stood for moment in the
doorway between the two rooms. with the
lamp in his hand. and looked around the
outer office
Nothing unusual was in sight. and he
turned back to his chair, As he did 3d. he
saw that he had neglected to bolt the
hall door, nnd did so at once
al am getting nervous. he muttered. ms
he rcscated himself. He worked away
until nearly morning, and then dozed again.
this time too heavily to hear light footsteps
creeping about his room. see deft
fingers stirring the y rers on his table.
The intruder was essed in the sarb OF
an ordinary working-inan. and WAS closely
masked. His object did not seem to be
plunder. for the attorneys well filed wal
let, protrudng from the pocket of coat
/ living on chair. remained untouched.
| But he examined closely every paper in
sight, and even looked for more among the
pages of books of reference lying On the
table.
/ The attorney stirred slightly IN his sleep.
ani the searcher hastily crept into the
main office where he paused and listened in
tently. Gray was soon sound asleepagain.
and he returned again to his task. but
seemed to meet with no better success than
before. Just as the light of morning be-
gan to creep into the rooms, he returned to
the outer office. carefully unlocked the
door with skeleton key. unbolted it, and
passed into the hall beyond.
Again. n gust of wind touched tho sleep.
ing mans face. for the draught was strong
in the hall. and again he sprang to his
feet. to find his papers littering the
carpet.
"What can it mean ?" he asked himself.
over and over again. At length. he saw
that the door WAS unbolted. He started
back in terror.
"It could only have been done from the
inside" he said, "and someone has been
hiding here"
He examined his wallet. and found that
it had not been tampercd with. Then he
ran hastily over the papers and saw that
none were missing.
"What could he have wanted?" He
puzzled over the question without finding
an answer.
81 will t,ke good care that I shall be
| molcsted no more" he thought, resolving
to have double lock put on the door that
very day.
As the daylight now filled the room. ho
put ont his lamp. dressed himself with nn-
usual care, and after locking up the papers.
took his cane, and sailed forth for a walk.
People in factory towns are usually
early risers, and the attorney found the
street by no means deserted when he
stepped out of his hallway. As he walked
along. he could not help observing that
already he WAS the central object of inter-
est in the place.
"They want to know who to cringe and
bow to next suppose" he grumbled. rs
he strobe along. "and think might tell
,I,,,k klo., Ill
say when tell them there is no will ?" he
added. chuckling softly to himself. "And
wonder what they will say when, after
all, a will is found?"
After an hours stroll, Gray entered a
restaurant and ordered breakfast. The
dining room was on the first floor and
separated from n bar room only by a thin
board partition which did not reach the
ceiling. The table at which Gray was
seated, stood close to this wall. and he could
therefore hear distinctly, what was going
on around the bar.
Two men. evidently mill hands. were
drinking together and talking of the all
absorbing topic of the time the death of
Mr. Walinsford and the disposition of his
property, particularly the mills.
You have been here IL long time, if l
am rightly informed ?" he heard one Of the
men say to his companion.
"Yes, nigh onto thirty years" was the
reply.
You remember the strange woman who
came here one night, twcnty-four years ago
then 2"
81 remember the occurrence right we'll,
for it created quite l. sensation here, al
though we were all careful not to let Mr..
Wallingford hear that we knew anything
of his secret"
"And he died, thinking that no one
knew. except the housekeepcr and HIM
self ~
{" suppose so!''
odd YOU see the woman ?"
Z" No one in the village, save Mr.. Walling-
ford, the housekeepcr, and the widow
Cameron, saw her.
Not the servants in the house?"
"No."
"Nor the village physician ?"
"When the woman gave birth to her
child, strange doctor cared for her. Ho
was with her night and day for a fort
night
"Was it boy?'
1--WE always thought 80. but 1 hardly
know why.
Where is Widow Cameron now ?"
dead, these twenty years.
W MAI 90 they Cali the wohlan VI the
house p
1.-The housckcepor
"Ycs."
Mrs. Ames."
"Ihen she is married ?"
YES, but her husband was wild like
and went away, after II terrible quarrel,
about fifteen years ago"
odd he live at the house z"
"Yes, he was m;n-of- all-work about the
place"
He was there when this woman came P"
"Yes."
Have another glass of beer, and tell
me what sort of man he was. How did
he look -
The beer was drawn, and the listening
attorney heard the two men drawing chairs
up to a table.
81 don't remember much about him."
said the old man. after seating himself,
"except that he was as ill-looking Il chap
as ever went unhung. 1t was IL village
wonder when Sarah Blocker married him,
when she might have chosen almost any
young man in the place, and he turned out
no better than we predicted.
"Had he blue eyes and light hair p
"No. | think his eyes and hair were
very black. His eyebrows Were heavy and
black, and seemed us though they We're
trying to hide his eyes, and he had scar
across his nose which! didn't increase his
brauty,