Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-11-03

cerned, save through you, and that,
hope, pleasantly. Your name was
Burns before you were married"
"Yes, sir, Hannah Burns"
do you remember dates well?"
"No, sir"
"YOu have. perhaps, a record Of
family events-your own birth, your
parents marriage, your grandfather's
deathY
Hannah Gneldt wonderingly replied
81 have mothers Bible, and they tell
me it's all there"
"Iow far backY"
"To grandfather's birth, / believe
Grandfather Burns. lie had one
child; and / am the only one my par
ents ever had. Oliver set down our
wedding day and cur two boys birth
days"
"And your great-grandfather - tho
record Of his death is there?"
81 don't know; you may see. Wait,
Ill call Oliver.
Going to the door, Hannah took
down "A horn used for that purpose, and
uttered call which brought Oliver
Gneldt home from the Geld at once.
He also felt alarmed, but explana-
tions quieted him. Almost rs much
astOnished as his wife, he brought out
the old Bible.
"The death of my wife's great
grandfather. Zebulon Burns, is not
here" he said. "The first record is in
his hand, l believe. 1t is the birth of
his eldest child"
So it proved, and the lawyer looked
disappointed.
"You cannot remember the day of
his death?" he said. 81 mean the date
of it."
"He died long before was born,"
said Hannah, "and though rich, left
nothing to grandfather. They had
quarrelled, ! believe. He told odd
stories of him. lie must have been
very eccentric. and servant or house
keeper had great influence over him
she had the property. Margery-Mar-
gerry"
"Margery WILDER, think" said the
lawyer.
"Yes," said Hannah. II remember
now."
"You are quiet people, not likely to
talk too much" said the lawyer. 81
will tell you something. We have
found will among the effects of a
legal gentleman who died very sudden
ly in a fit of apoplexy. Don't hope too
much, mind. A will in your favor
that is now in your favor, as your
fathers only child"
Hannah clutched her husbands hand.
cit is written by one on his death
bed, dated the 10th of March, IL,
and leaves all his property to your
father, his grandson, then a boy.
Hush! don't expect too much. Mar
gerry WILDER or her heirs now hold this
property under a will dated March Is,
IL!
a. later will" said Oliver. "Then,
of course. they are the rightful pos
SCISSORS. What need of all this-the
latest must stand"
"NOt If it is a forgery" said the
lawyer.
Oliver laughed the bitter laugh of
care and disappointment.
"Who can prove that" he said.
mo one. perhaps. Yet the record
Of the old mans death might"
"a man whose dying hand signed a
will on the 10th Of March would scarce
ly make another on the 18th. We be-
lieve the will a forgery. written on old
parchment since the discovery of the
one / have spoken of. Margery VIII
ber took possession with legal forms,
for no one appeared to test her title.
Where was your great-grandfather
buried2'
Here said Hannah. "They say he
was brought down athis request-Mrs.
WILDER rs chief mOurner, and his SON
grandfather-not even sent for. An
old graveyard somewhere. Oh, Oliver
Oliverw
She turned quite white and uttered
a cry.
"oliver, that must be the graveyard
on Grey's place, that he dug over last
winter in the warm SPELL"
"Then il is gone" said Oliver. "And
our last hope with it. No, gentlemen,
good luck could never come TO us.
Poverty means to cling to us to the
last. l wish you had better clients"
"Oliverl Oliverr' gasped Hannah
Gneldt, "tell me one thing. Zebulon
was great-grandfather's name. Zebu
Ion is spelled with a z, isn't IL? Oh,
do speak,
81 think you are going mad, Hannah
Of course it is"
"Oh, the big Z, l remember it so
welll knew IL was Il; and it would
have been broken to pieces before now.
Oliver, don't you remember my door
step that you were so angry at? 1 be
lieve it is my old great-grandfather's
tombstone. And not to know it when
l stared at the great Zr'
Oliver Gneldt said nothing. He
feared his wife's brain was turning
and that made him faint and cold as he
followed her into the garden. and there
watched, while the three others lifted
at the fiat slab.
1t lay before them on the green
spring grass, black letters on the
whiteness, and, bending over it, they
read aloud:
"Zebulon Burns. Born May.
Died March II, IL" With eulogis-
tic verses, with long SIS underneath, as
in duty bound.
Its poor great-grandfather," said
Hannah. And the lawyer extended his
hands, grasping those of Oliver and his
wife.
"fhe proof is soundp he said. The
latest will is forgery, for it is dated
the day after the old mans death.
Mrs. Gneldt is heiress to a large prop
erty. congratulate you"
And Hannah, with her head on her
husbands shoulder, whispered: "Oli-
yer, IL wouldn't have been better to
have married Miss Lester after allP'
Eggs for Winter Fill up.
Fresh eggs, and plenty of them, in
winter-what a luxury And yet