The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-12-30

This wns said with n curious look into
my face. as il he had been saying to him.
self, i wonder il no suspects me?' And,
contrary to my usual practice, resolved ia
60 in person, instead of sendinga clerk.
a cab which he had kept in waiting took
us to the house, in which We found the
nurse who had attended the old man in his
Inst illness, and m elderly woman who had
acted Us housekeeper. The nurse was not
so stupid rs many Old-fashioned nurses.
and took occasion, during momentary alb
sence of Gunson, to draw me aside and say,
i hope the old mans money won't 60 to
| thnt MN. He was here ever so often be-
fore Mr.. Stokes died, and they quarreled
| hot, l can tell you
what did they quarrel aboutY asked
with much interest.
II think that man asked for money, for
heard him say: Il shall be ruined il / can
not pay did not hear all that was said,
but Il was bitter while il lasted, and the old
man had me in with n fearful ring of the
bell, and told me to show that william out.
II saw murder in his eye he said and
not u penny of my money shall he ever fin
ger. wish knew where my poor girl
lives. She should have all, poor thing!
Then he ordered me ont of the room, and
heard him shuttle across to the fire, and
when came back could soc that he had
burned something in the fireplace-which
believe, sir. il was the will.
mo doubt the old mans days had been
shortened by the excitement from those fire.
auent quarrels. When man of no moral
principles, like Gunson, is given an interest
In another's death, il is not mt all unlikely
that he will try to hasten the removal of all
IL l.. L,s a. ..,1 f.rt
especially when he thinks il can be done
without danger of discovery. felt, how
ever, as the man rejoined me, n thorough
repugnance To him, and was very near tell
ing him not to trouble to look for the will,
as | had reason to believe it had been de-
stroyed. but conquered the feeling as well
rs could; and. indeed, l had no evidence
to prove the will had been destroyed.
"The housekeeper then showed us trunk
in which old Stokes had kepta all his papers.
| opened it, and ut the top found little
packet of letters from his daughter. glanc-
ed ut one. II was full of sorrow and ten
derness, asking 80 earnestly If she might
show him their boy. The letter went on:
We call him Mathew, father; and when we
were without bread the little fellow said he
wonld come to you and ask for some for
mother He was sure you would not say no;
but now my dear husband has work and
although it would not be to beg We should
come, yet do want, dear father, to see you
once more Over the next few words the
ink had run, or the paper had got so wet
that could not read them. Perhaps, if
the miller had been alive he could have
told us how this happened
folded up the letter, and turning sud
denly to Gunson, who had been looking
over me, saw sardonic smile on his face,
which did not improve my opinion of him.
We went over I'll the papers, but could not
find the will
Just rs ] was bout to close the trunk,
Gunson said, We have not looked in the
pocket inside the lid did so, and to my
surprise cane upon folded paper, which
appeared to he the will, or SO exact n copy
OF it that ! was not prepared to deny its
identity. II was written on u kind of paper
that have used for half lifetime, and the
writing was Enthusiastically that of n clerk of
mine, named Peter Phipps. The signatures,
too, We're all right, so fur as !
could See, but yet | had n doubt |
caught myself taking the valuable paper out
of my pocket ana scanning il closely when
Gunson was not by, rs if half expecting the
senseless paper to reveal some subtle treach-
cry. got back To my Office rs soon rs pos
sible, and read the will carefully through;
then hunted up the original draft, and
found that it agreed perfectly.
For some two or three days the matter
stood over, for was called ont of town on
urgent business, but the morning of my
return ] was told that an old woman
the nurse of Matthew Stokes-had
called to see me during my alb
sence. She would not leave any message,
but said she would call when ! returned to
town. That day, as was leaving the office,
the nurse came, full of apology, and hoping
/ should not think any worse of her for what
she had to tell. You know, she said, Il told
You that l believed Mr.. Stokes burnt his will,
and my reason for thinking so is this. When
he was asleep picked out two little bits of
paper from the ashes, and kept them in
my pocket ever since, and here they are
Hastily taking them from her, ! could
see from these scraps that it must have been
the will that Matthew Stokes had destroyed,
for they read:
My real and personal -
Henry Gunson - -