The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1881-05-14
"No.a

you Tor asking me any such cues
ton"
81 do not wish or expect any
thanks at all;lL merely want to
know the truth. Mrs. Ragland,
did you ever see a copy Of Bolivar
Bramlett's will"
"Psrhaps | have"
"Don't you know you have9"
Suppose have, what does that
signify?'
"Just answer my questions, If
you please"
"WelI, l think it very possible
thatl have seen a copy Of the
will"
"Did you not send to New York,
and pay ten dollars for a copy Of
that Wille'
"0h, yes; l had entirely forgot
ten that
"Yes5 | dare say you had forgot
ten such a trihing little circum.
stance. What was your object in
sending for a copy of the will9'
81 can't remember precisely what
l did want with it; l suppose it was
mere curiosity that induced me 10
do it," -
"Is this the copy of the will that
was sent you"
Lottie handed her a large bum
die of papers containing several
pages of written matter, and at
the bottom OF the last page was a
large red seal and a blue ribbon.
"This looks very much like the
copy Of the one l received, though
| can't swear that 1t is the identi-
cal one. lift is the same paper, it
has been stolen from my bureau
drawer. Ishould like to know how
you got possession Of that paper"
"You shall know all about it at
ter a while. Who, Under that will,
would get all OF the Bramlett es,
tate, provided Viola and her little
brother had both died, leaving no
children?"
II believe it would have gone to
my husband"
"Then, If those two children had
died childless, your husband would
have been a very rich man."
"Yes, | suppose he would"
"You, OF course, were very sanx
ious that the children should live
long and be healthy, so they could
enjoy their fathers vast wealth."
eyes," .-t
"Yon did not want them to die,
and leave your husband bothered
with such a vast fortune to man
age~
II don't know that | ever thought
any thing on that subject"
"You were frequently in need Of
money, were you notg"
~ don't know that l was fre.
quently in need Of money, though
l did sometimes borrow a little"
why did you not get money
from your husband, when you stood
in need Of it, instead Of borrowing
it from Miss BramlettS"
"My husband was not in a con,
dition to let me have money, as he
was out Of business, and hard press
ed to meet his own pecuaiary OBJ
l~igations,P s....t
"How did you expect to pay the
money back, that Miss Blamlett
loaned to you?" as9 4irt.
81 never gave a thought in that
direction"
What number shoe do you
wear?'
Number four" ~ bri
Lottie then opened a small port
manteau, which the cOachman had
been ordered to fetch in and depos.
it near where she sat. My curios-
ity had been considerably excited
in regard to that little portman-
taau, and when | had pressed Lot.
tie with questions as to its con.
tents early on that morning, she
cat me short with q command to
atWaIt and see.' She took out a
pretty little laced ladies1bOot, and
handing it to Mrs. Ragland, said:
"Please examine that boot, and
tell me If you ever saw it be.
fore" 4
"LA, yes, that is mine; it and the.
mate to it were stolen from my
boudoir; | should like to know who
was the thief" aI
IL dare say you would; but you
must be patient, and at the proper
time you shall see the thief Mrs.
Ragland, what is the number of
that boot9"
at is a numhar fhrae + haliavo