The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-06-16
Miss Barclays VIII.
BY s, ANNIE FROST.

"There Vas a will leaving you this
house and twenty thousand dollars"
said Meekum, looking down at the sad
face of Miss Magdeline Barclay, who
stood before him. ''I drew it up N.Y.
self. The remainder of the property
was to go to your cousin, but il the will
can not be found, he will inherit all un.
der the previous one drawn up before
you were born. Dear-dearl this
comes Of people keeping valuable pa
pers in their own possession. Now, If
your aunt had given me the will, it
would have been forthcoming to-day.
Do you think she could have destroy
ed it?"
81 am sure she did not. She hid it.
She told me SO, some days ago, and
when the last spasm came on tried to
tell me where it was. But we have
searched the house, Hannah and my
self, and it cannot be found"
Him What kind of man is your
cousin, Mr.. Stephen Barclay?"
81 never saw him. He has lived in
New York all his life, believe. 1
don't think he ever came to see Aunt
Mary, certainly he has not been here
since she gave me a home, six years
ago."
"Well, he will come to the funeral,
for he telegraphed to that effect. He
will have about fifty thousand dollars
under the new will, and perhaps
HIM" for the old lawyer, suddenly con-
cluded that il might not be wise to raise
false hopes. While he was speaking,
the door bell rang, and there entered
gentleman of about fifty, tall, lank and
grim, with face as genial as cast.iron.
my name is Barclay" he said; 81
presume your are Mr.. Meekum, the
late Miss Barclays lawyer?"
Mr.. Meekum bowed, and the strang-
er, turning to Magdeline, fairly snarl-
ed
"And you are the cooks daughter?"
"Sir!" cried the girl Indignantly.
ooh. you need not put on any airs to
me! Your father married his cook, and
she made ducks and brakes of tidy
fortune for him, and then died. lie
died, too, which was the best thing he
could do, and his sister, who very
properly refused to associate with The
cook, took you up, out of charity. |
presume she has left you some money!"
But Magdeline was too indignant to
answer, and Mr.. Meekum explained
the state of affairs more than limiting
that it would be praise worthy act for
the heir to carry out his aunt's inten'
tions.
"That would be a joke!" said Mr..
Barclay, savagely. II present the girl
with fortunel She is nothing put a
pauperl Lei her cook, as her mother
did, and perhaps she can meet another
such fool as her father"
With her eyes blazing and her cheeks
like twin roses, Magdeline marched out
of the room, every drop of her blood
boiling at the insults offered to her
parents, She crossed the hall to the
kitchen, where Hannah was preparing
dinner, and weeping, with regular al
formation in the employments.
"Hannah, Mr.. Barclay has come, I"
said MagdeIine, shortly; "put on an
extra plate."
Then she went to her own room and
had coed cry.
She was only eighteen, and she had
loved her aunt dearly. She was en-.
gagged to be married to young clerk
in large wholesale house, and she had
intended to use a part of her legacy to
buy him partnership, while her home
was to be the house her aunt lad will
ed her.
Now-now this hateful cousin would
take all, and she must work and wait
till Franks salary could support two,
which it certainly could not do yet.
She wondered, when her angry tears
had subsidized into fitful ones, what work
she could do. Her aunt had kept her
busy reading to her, playing the piano
for her, writing her letters, and had al
lowed her to attend the village semi
nary. But she had studied girl-fashion
without any thought of making her
education bread winner. She could
sew pretty well, and could keep house.
"But | don't know how too cook,
even if would" she thought, with hel
anger rising again. "Aunt Mary did
not Intend l should live by menia
work. wonder if my mother was a
cook. Nobody ever told me so before
Oh we must find the will !"
But in vain she raked her brains tC
think OF Que nook or corner which she
had left unexplOred. Her aunt haC
expressly told her that the will was con
cealed, though the motive for her Sc
crecy was never revealed, but where il
the small house could it be hidden
Hannah had searched faithfully, fol
she was remembered also, ,and five hun
, dred dollars was well worth a littl,
) trouble. But the will could not bt
found.
The next day the funeral brOugh
J friends from far and near, for Mis-
Barclay had been greatly beloved, ant
Magdeline, was offered more than ont
i home, until she decided what to do
y The story of the lost will was prett!
i widely spread, and Mr.. Barclay knew
that he was expected to do something
for his cousin.
But he was a hard man, one VIII
had made money an object of positiv
worship, and he had 10 intention q
:, parting with one dollar. Already h
had given Mr.. Meekum orders TO sci
the house and furniture for what the!
would bring, and announced his de
. parture for the following day.
< "Where are you going" he aske'