Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-01-08
The Mystery Of Garrick Hall.

Robert, SAID Aunt Edltn, 10 my papa
with little SILVER.
Exactly" papa replied, thought
fully, land the same time of year, too. "
"Suppose you tell the children all
about it," mamma said, quietly; " they
look a. if they wanted to know very
much"
"Wsll, since it is perhaps time they
knew, l will tell you how Aunt Edith
saved my life," continued papa, turning
10 Edgar, the eldest Of us, long ago,
long before you were born, my boy.
"Aunt Filth and were only brother
and sister; ever 10 much greater cronies
than you and Edgar are, Jessie, not only
because We had each other to love, but
because we had to make common cause
against an enemy, Jeffrey Lawson, our
step-mother's son by previous marriage.
We lost our own dear mother when we
we're babies. JEFF WAS ten years older
than l WAS; and after our fathers death
which happened when | WAS eight and
Edith six, we would have had poor
time of it but for Dame Turtle, our dear
old nurse. She looked after our inier-
osts, and fought all our battles valantly
whether we were in the right or the
wrong Our step-mother wasso wrapped
up in JEFF that she bestowed little trou-
BILE upon us. |, especially, was no favor
ito, for she got silly idea into her head
that stood between jeff and the prop
erty of Garrick. He was was fine,
handsome fellow, as remember when l
was l5 and no Is; strong and daring,
naughty in disposition and hssty in tenn
per. l could zee even then he bitterly
resented my being master, and himself
an II nobody; for all our servants had
grown old with Ills, and were staunch
and loyal to Us children of the house.
sour mother-we call her SO, though
abe was little more than kin and less
than kind RESENTED it too, and looked
for ward with very bitter feelings to the
time when would be 81; for then, &C.
oording to our fathers will she was to
leave Garrick Hall, the homestead, and
reside in little cottage he owned in
Wales. 1t would be different position
for her, as she had but small jointure-
all her own fortune had been spent on
yefirey--snd by some inexplicsbe chain
Of woman reasoning, she blamed me for
what she was pleased to call her unmerit
cd misfortunes. Each year that passed
made matters worse between as. As |
grew older many things in the manage
ment of the property struck me as very
unjust. The best of the timber was be-
ing cut down and the house allowed to
fall into a state bordering on ruin be
cause my mother would not spend
money on repairs which | alone wss TO
enjoy the benefit of. Our family lawyer
WAS dead. jeffrey chose his mother $
legal adviser, and neither Edith nor |
knew where to look for advice or assist
ance. Things remained very much in
this state till WAS nearly twenty, when
one day jeff entered my room in q state
Of wild excitement, and showed RE a
will that he had discovered in some out
of-the.way corner. 1t WAS dated few
days before my fathers DEATH and ex-
cept that it bequesthed to Jeffrey the
sum Of $4,000, aud the reversion to
Gs.rick if died without heirs, it was
substantially the same as the one already
in existence.
al had my doubts about the validity
Of the document, but | passed no com
ment; both the witnesses were dead, aud
l had not shadow of proof to advance.
Suspicious in such a case go for nothing,
% held my peace, the more especially
~ Judson, our old steward, WAS prep AIRED
- swear to my fathers signature. So
Ssii Lawson had his f5 900.
"On the night of which | am going to
cell you, there WAS large part of the
money in the house. JEFF WAS going to
London the next morning; and rs he
meant to start early, he said good bye to
rs over night, and went up to his room
first, carrying the money with him.
Edith and remained in the dining. room
little longer, chatting on different
Mstters, among others of Jeff's dcpsr-
tare, of strange restlessness | had OBJ
served in his manner of late, of the pos
aible date of his return; and somehow,
quite unintentionslly, l lot fsll q hint
about my suspicious about the will, and
discovered that they corresponded ex-
actiy with Edith's. At last, when the
are had burned quite out, and the can
dies were getting low in their sockets,
We went upstairs together. 1t WAS II
Wild November night, with just such
angry, impatient gusts of wind and
vagrant thunder.clsps rs this. | occu-
oiled the west room; your sunt the one
adjoining; and JEFF slept in the esst