Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-08-19

what sudden ueatn, anu bnOftly hIJeI TehuluB
the note l was called upon by the cousin,
Henry Gunson.
"I am good Judge of faces, aud disliked
the man the moment saw him. He was no
hypocrite and made no show Of sham grief
at the death of his relative on the contrary,
he smiled and appeared perfectly jubilant at
the stroke of good fortune.
you have heard, he said Il believe, of
my cousins death, and came here because
he once told me that, three or four years since,
you had drawn up will in my favor"
can this was natural enough, but there was
something in the mans manner that made me
study his face closely. 1t seemed to me that
under an appearance of simplicity he was
playing q deep game. Yet what game could
he be playing? l was forced to dismiss the
thought, and turn my attention to business.
" 1T is true that Mr.. Stokes did instruct me
TO draw up such will, but he did not intrust
the keeping of the document to me, an
swered. 4 have the draft of it, and that is
ALL
'The man looked startled but the look
was not one of genuine surprise, and only
made me suspect more than ever.
"'Where in the world can the will be,
then 2 he said Perhaps you could go out
with me and take charge Of things, and see If
it can be found 2
face, AZ if he had been saying to himself 4
wonder if he suspects me ? and, contrary to
my usual practice, | resolved to go in person
instead of sending clerk.
"a cab which he kept in waiting took us
to the house, in which we found the nurse
who attended the old man in his illness, and
an elderly woman who had acted as house
keeper. The nurse was not so stupid as many
old fashioned nurses, and took occasion, dur
ing a momentary absence of Guuson, to draw
me aside and say, i hope the old mans mon
ey won't go to that man. He was here ever
so often before Mr. Stokes died, and they
quarreled hot, l can tell you
What did they quarrel aOoutY l asked
with much int crest.
81 think that man asked for money, for
heard him say: Il shall be ruined if | cannot
pay" | did not hear all that was said, but it
was bitter while it lasted, and the old man
called me in with fearful ring of the bell,
aud told me to show that villain out
~ saw murder in his eye he said, and
not penny of my money shall he ever flu
ger 1 wish knew where my poor girl lives !;
She should have it all, poor thing Then he
ordered me out of the room, and heard him
shuttle across to the fee, and when l came
back could see he had burned something in
the fireplace which, l believe, sir, was the
will
"No doubt the old mans days had been
shortened by the excitement from these ire
quent quarrels. 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 aud fortune especial
ly when he thinks it can be done without
danger of discovery. l felt, however, as the
man rejoined me, thorough repugnance to
1 s.1t, q,
trouble to look for the will, as l had reason
to believe that it had been destroyed, 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 l found little
packet of letters from his daughter.
glanced at one it was full of sorrow and
tenderness, asking so 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 for
mother. He was sure you would not say no
but now my dear husband has work. and al
though 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
l could not read them. Perhaps, if the mil
Ter had been alive, he could have told US how
this happened.
l folded up the letter, and turning sudden.
| " to Gunson, who had been looking over me,
saw a sardonic 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 1 was about to close the trunk
| Gunson said we have not looked in the
pocket inside the lid l did SO, and to my
surprise came upon folded paper, which
appeared to be the will, or so exact a copy Of
it that was not prepared to deny its identi.
ty. 1t was written on kind of paper that
have used for that purpose for half life
time, and the writing was unmistakably thai
of clerk of mine named Peter Chipps. The
signatures, too, were all right, SO far as
could see, but yet / had a doubt. caugh
myself taking the valuable paper out of my
pocket and scanning it closely when Gunsor
was not by, as if half expecting the senselesi
paper to reveal some treachery. l got bacl
to my Office as soon as possible, and read thu
will carefully through then hunted up the
original draft and found that it agreed per
fectly.
''For some two or three days the matter
stood over, for was called out of town OIL
urgent business, but the morning of my re
turn was told that an old woman-the nurs'
| of Matthew Stokes--had called to see me dur
ing my absence. She would not leave AM
message, but said she would call when l re
turned to town. That day, as was leaving
the office the nurse came, full of apology
and hoping should not think any the wors
of her for what she had to tell me. 'YoV
know she said, Il told you that believed
Mr.. Stokes burnt his WILL and my reason fo
thinking so is this when he was fast asleel
picked up two little bits of paper from thu
ashes, and have kept them in my pocke
ever since, and here they are
"My real and personal ...................