Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1881-02-10
TIE WHISPER IN THE WOOD.


RONALD MORRIS and his young wife
are sitting in the snug parlor of an inn
at the little town of Oakhampton, on
the confines of Dartmoor. The season
is autumn, and the time evening. Lamp
and freight combine with the homely
surroundings of the remote hostelry in
giving a sense of CHEEKY comfort. He
young, broad-shouldered, strong of Limb
and firm of countenance, blue-eyed and
brown-haired- poring over a map.
She, rather younger, pale-faced but
pretty, dark-haired and with eyes to
match, and with q delicate yet we'll
rounded fgure-she is idly glancing
through the pages of a book. Presently
he speaks, half to himself:
"Yes, / must have a look at that
place; it promises wellas background
for story. l have often heard of it. "
. She, somewhat alphabetically, in
cquires:
"Some expedition you are contem-
platingP"
"Yes, across the moor; / can not
quite make out how far it is, but l trace
the way, and it must be within an easy
walk, six or seven miles; yes, thought
of going tomorrow, if you will not be
very much bored, dear little woman, by
being left alone for few hours"
"Oh, no, l shall manage to amuse
myself; beside, it is necessary you
should see what you want. 1t was to
get some local color, as you call it, that
we came down to these wilds, and there
is no reason because we are out on our
honeymoon that you should not do some
work"
"You are the most sensible little wife,
I believe, Sophy, that man was ever
blessed with,'' he says, looking up at
her with admiring attention, sand l was
never SO happy in my life! !"
A knock at the room-dOOr precedes
the entrance of the landlord with two or
three letters.
"The Lunnon post, zur, just in" he
says, in his strong De7onshire dialect.
"Ah, of course; you do not get your
London letters here until very late," re-
spends Ronald, taking the miSsiVes. 81
suppose when the railway is open to
Plymouth it will make some difference
to- this part of the world"
"I should zay t'uld be likely tu. Not
,asI zee it'll be o. much use tn we in this
place we han't much doin' with Lunnon,
though make no doubt it'll be rare
chance for gentlemen like you that go
jumping the country" and after a few
more words the man civily retires.
Suddenly Ronald utters an exclama-
ton of surprise, startling his wife from
the placidity with which she is regarding
him while he is looking over his letters.
"My word!" he goes on; "the poor
old gentleman died suddenly the day
before yesterday! Bless my heart! |
am very grieved. How strange it should
have happened just now, so soon after
all his kindness to me-to u.s." e.
"What-not your uncle?" exclaims
the wife.
ayes, indeed it is; here is the letter
announcing the fact, from Baston, his
lawyer. 1 shall have to go to town.
This is what he says, Sophy:
"'It is with the deepest regret | have
to inform you Of the sudden death OF
your uncle, Mr.. Matthew Morris. He
was found dead in his bed, and it will
therefore be necessary for you, as his
sole executor and legatee, to come to
town and produce his will, that we may
take out letters of administrations prove
the will at Doctors Commons, you un-
derstand, and establish your right, etc.
This would have been requisite in any
.clse, but it is the more imperative, since,
through Mr.. Morris eccentric views, he
insisted on intrusting the will to your
keeping , -
"Ah! never told you, Sophy, l
think, all about that" said the reader,
breaking off. "Strange old boy! You
know how good and kind he has been to
me, and how but for him we could not
have married for years; and you remem-
ber l told you that the day before our
wedding he made his will in my favor,
leaving me nearly everything. But /
did not tell you of his funny fancy about
the document. He drew it himself on a
sheet of note-paper, and brought itwith
him the day on which he met me at Bas-
toms Office (the day before we were
marriedl. Well, then, when the lawyer
pronounced the will to be thoroughly
legal, and said that it only required
signing and witnessing, he signed it then
and there in the presence of Baston and
one Of his clerks; and when they had
duly signed it, each being in the pres
ence Of the other, ETC., as the legal for
mula goes, he took the paper, and hand
ing it to me, said There, ROnny, my
bo7; as this concerns you, and nobody
but you, desire that you should keep
possession of it, Then, with some good
humored Joke at the lawyers expense,
he insisted that should put the will in
INV pocket sBaston may keep a copy
Of II, added my uncle, III II is Of any
interest 20 him, but You must keep the
original, and mind you don't lose it,
aWel, sopby, / did put i IN my
pocket, and haTing no bankers or strong
box in which to deposit it, l brought it
away with me, and here it is still st this
moment, in little fat tin case, with 3
copy Of our marriage certificate, and
one or two more valuahless here in my
breast-pocket, ? and Ronald Norris
strikes the breast of his rough shooting
coat as he speaks, sthe safest place in
Che world, if one has not.a banker. But