Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-04-20

BIT, WAS bilt Will
''No doubt the old mans days had been
shortened by the excitement from these fire.
auent duarrels. When man Of no moral
principles, like Gunson, is given an interest
in another's DEATH it is not at all unlikely
that he will try to hasten the removal OF all
that stands between him and o fortune
especially when he thinks in can be done
without danger of discovery. | felt, how
ever, as the man rejoined me, thorough re-
pugnance to him, and was very near telling
him not to trouble TO look for the will, as l
had reason to believe that it had been de-
stroyed, but conquered the feeling as well
as | could and, indeed, had no evidence TO
prove that the will had been destroyed.
"The housekeeper then showed us trunk
in which old Stokes had kept all his papers.
opened it, and at the top found a little
packet of letters from his daughter. glanced
at one; it was full of sorrow and tender
ness, askingso earnestly If she might show
him their boy. The letter went on We
call him Matthew, father; and when we
were without bread the little fellow said he
| would come to you and ask for some Tor
mother. lie 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.
al folded up the letter, and turning sud-
denly to Gunson, who had been looking over
me, | saw a sardopic smile on his face,
which did not improve my opinion OF him.
| We went over all the papers, but could not
| find the will.
"Just as | was about 10 close the trunk
Gunson said We have not looked in the
pocket inside the lid | did so, and to my
surprise came upon folded paper, which
appeared to be the will, or so exact copy
of it that | was not prepared to deny its
| identity. IL was written on kind OF paper
that have used for that purpose for half a
life time, and the writing was Enthusiastically
that of a clerk of mine named Peter Chips.
| The signatures, too, were all right, so far as
could see, but yet had doubt. | caught
myself taking the valuable paper out of my
pocket and scanning it closely when Gunson
was not by, as if half expecting the sense
less paper to reveal some subtle treachery.
got back TO my office as soon as possible,
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 out of town on
urgent business, but the morning of my re-
turn | was told that all old woman-the
nurse of Matthew Stokes--had called to see
me during my absence. 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
al, g l. Co.. hat aIn had 30
| tell to me- You know she said, 9 told you
that believed Mr.. Stokes burnt his will,
and my reason for thinking so is this when
he was fast asleep l picked up two little bits
of paper from the ashes and have kept them
in my packet ever since, and here they are
My real and personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
80. Henry Gunson ........,.........,..'.'''''''
...'...........s..... tine tesator IN ........
and IN
81 compared the scraps of paper with the
copy found in the trunk, and it was with
out doubt in the same handwriting. would
have turned to the clerk, whose name stood
first as witness, but he was dead or to the
one who had written and witnessed the
original will, and who, at this moment, felt
sure must know something of this fraud,
but he had gone to drink year or two be-
fore, and had been reluctantly compelled to
part with him. asked if any one had his
address, and by strange coincidence let
ter had come from him that very day to one
of my clerks, asking him to call, for he was
very i'll. The moment heard that, started
off for Peters lodgings in cab. l found
him in bed, evidently in rapid consump-
ton, and had only to hold up the forged
will and say significantly, 'how on earth did
you come to do this 2? to make the blood
leave his face. He would not confess, how
ever, unless gave him pledge that he would
not be punished for his share in the forgery.
That was more than could take on me
| to promise, so left him, and made my way
to the miserable home of the Morleys in
| Golden Lane. BY miserable | don't mean
unhappy, but poor. When l was admitted
to the house / found they occupied two
rooms on the second floor. The heiress of
Stokes large fortune was busy on her knees
before the fire, toasting bread for her hus-
bands tea, aud her own rosy cheeks at the
same time, and Merely himself seated in a
corner of the room writing with a swift hand
at the law papers he spent his evenings in
copying. Mrs. Merely was quite young
thing, and so good looking that / could
scarcely believe her the daughter of my de-
ceased client.
"When told them of the death of old
Matthew Stokes, any one would have thought
they had lost their kindest friend. His
daughter was overcome with grief. assured
her from what heard that her father had
forgiven her. and if he had known their ad-
dress he certainly would have sent for them
Both listened breathlessly to my story, and
when gave my opinion that nothing now
could stand in the way of her inheriting heI
fathers wealth, she simply went to her hus
band, clasped him in her arms and kissed
him, and then burst into tears. But when
spoke of prosecuting her fathers cousin
she said: NO; my poor father would moi
have disgraced a relative, even though hi
deserved it. Perhaps ii you wrote to him
telling him what you have discovered, HI
will trouble us no more
alt was hard to let the rascal slip but
wrote to Gunson accordingly, and if my pei
had been dipped in acid could not hav'
written stronger. He needed no seconC
dose. Without even having the politenes
to reply, he was off to America by the quick
est route, fearing every inch of the way,
expect, that the police were in his wake.
: got the whole details of the plot out of Pete
: Chips, from which it appeared that Gun
son no sooner discovered that his cousin hat
really burned the will formerly executed il
;; his favor, than he sought out my late clerl
as fitting tool to produce duplicate from
the draft The price given was mer
trihe--some IS or SO; but Peter had re
solved to bleed his employer without mere
the moment he got possession of the oil
mans money, by means of the forged docu
g ment. Peter was dying when he made tn
= confession, but Mrs. Merely was at his hous
: the next day, and took the poor fellow
!, breath away by telling him that she woul
see that his wife and children were we
d cared for. The stricken man stared at he
o some moments in dead silence, and then
4 feebly snatched at her hand and burst int
:, tears. lie couldn't speak, but the simpl
t gesture said more than a thousand wore
could have conveyed.
u "Mrs. Merely has not been spoiled by he
10 good fortune. She is the same loving an
s generous-hearted woman that she was
: poverty. She declares to this day that 81
e is not whit more happy in her grand hou'
u than she was in the two-pair back in &c
q den Lane. And believe she speaks Il
y truth."-Selected.