Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-30
A REMARKABLE WILL.
The Romance of an English watering
Place-In TWO Parts.
PART II.

insane after all? If that were so, every
penny of the f25, 600 would have to be di
vided between the Count and the Major, a.
the husbands of her next OF kin. No
surely that insanity was impossible.
| twisted the document up and down
and round and round. Those letters still
obstinately remained as they were the
alphabet, at any rate, had gone mad un
less it was / who had gone insane. needed
some evidence OF my own senses, and car
ried the viii straight to my co-eyecutioner.
DIR. kirwan.
aShe was an odd old lady," said he al
last. "But I'll bear witness in any Court
YOU like that she was as sane as any body
that ever made will.
"But what's to be done"
ssAh. what, indeed y What's the effect
of this will az il stands ?"
"rm Just hanged if l know The Wills
otherwise without a flaw. And in all my
practice, and all my reading, too, l never
heard Of the alphabet's being made q
residuary legatee. [ don't like to say,
without consideration, that there's nc
principle Court of equity would 90 upon
but | don't know of one. | don't see even
how it would come within the doctrine OF
Gu Pres.
"What's that ?"
"Why, that when the. conditions of a
gift can't be literally carried out, the Court
of Chancery will decree some method con-
fOrmable to the general object, and follow
ing the Intentions of the donor as nearly as
possible.
"Then, said DR.. Kirwan, 81 should
say the Court would apply the estate TO
the foundation of college for the study
Of conundIums. But-holloa, Lake, here S
something else dropped out of the envelope
perhaps it's the answer. It's letter ad-
dressed to you"
That, also, was sealed. When l opened
it / found only these words:
IF You are puzzled, lift up the carpet
in the drawing-room, IN the corner be-
tween the fireplace and window, under the
chiffonieT.-B. NJ.
We went together straight to the house
OF the late Miss Molloy, and, according to
our instructions, turned up the carpet in
the corner Of the drawing room. Sure
enough, we found another sealed note adj
dressed to me.
Look" we read, q at page l73 in the
second volume OF Gibbons Decline and
Fall It is on shelf in the breakfast
room.-B. NJ.
was TOO vexed at this folly and mysti-
fication TO smile.
s'By Jupiter " exclaimed the doctor,
81 this accounts for that midnight ramble
over her house Just before she died. She
was writing these notes and hiding them.
Poor old lady-it's not an uncommon thing,
though, foT people on their deathbeds to
fancy themselves surrounded by spies and
enemies. Ib isn't lunacy. though, Ell ?"
But it's the cause of lunacy in others,
grutnbIed l. "Well, now for Gibbon."
And there, exactly on page l73 of vol
ume II, was yet third sealed note for
me- And this ran
"Key behind wainscot three inches
toward cupboard from dressing-room win
dow.-B. NJ"
CAT last !" said I. al was afraid we
were going to be sent up all the chimneys
before we'd done
by Jupiter, Lake, just think what
would have happened if there'd been one
link missing II one of these pillar-to- post
notes had been lost or gone out of the
way "
"Its too terrible chance to talk of
Il would have cost one Of those your g peo-
pie near $, 200 year. Come, here's the
dressing groom; let's be quick and have
done with the whole thing"
" Ali right; here's q loose board, Just
where we were told to 90. Come, out with
you! Hold a match down, THIS is rather q
dark hole. There-and here's-holloa -
Dr. Kirwan pulled out a fragment of an
envelope 70 which the red sealing wax still
clung, and on which l read part OF my
own name. There were also some odds
and ends Of blank paper scattered round.
We pulled out ali that was there. Alas
the fate Of the key was too plainly to be
learned from the torn and half-eaten scraps
OF envelope and note paper We found.
4 scattering and scrambling behind the
wainscot Knocked us with the certainty that
the mice mad swallowed the key.
What was 70 be done now The mice
alone knew to whom Miss Bridgita Mol
loy's money belonged The letters Of the
alphabet took TO waltzing with the multi
pbcation table in my dreams. 1 did not
know what to DO. I got box of ivory
letters and tried all sorts of anagrams, but
could make nothing out of tiye-and-twenty
letters, with only four vowels among them,
and with so many rs and Ks. | proved the
viii in fear and trembling, fully expecting
that the question of the soundness OF the
mind OF the testatrix would be Immedl-
ately raised by one or both of her brothers
In law, who had OF course been made aware
of the contents, and were in possession OF
those letters without meaning. But,
strange to say, no steps were taken what
ever. It was not for week at least after
the viii had been proved that received a
visit from Steldl, the elder, accompani, d
bv a dapper and smartly- dressed young
man. whom he introduced to me as Mr..
Withers. from the office of Withers &
King. | supposed he was the legal adviser
of the Sseldi claim.
- You shall wonder, Mr. Lake, said the
Count, "why ] not think Miss Molloy
what you call mad woman. Not at all.
think Of that once; but then that give hall
the money to that vermin, Fitzgerald
,OBirn. who shall lose it in every vile way
say it shah be good viii. | take ad
vice, and demand you pay ali what shall
be left to my son, Ferentz Steldl-"
sFait a bit, said l. He has already
received his legacy of q 600"
Ban what shall be LOGO? He il
what you call resjduary legatee Of Mis-
blolloy.
~ wish he were, with all my heart
Bat we must GO TO Chancery. There
nothing else to be done.
mo. lie shall not go in Chancery. Ill
shall have his right and his due. am hi
father, Monsieur.
when you can read those COMPOUNDED
letters into FeIentz Steldl, I'll pay hin
every penny with all my heart, and TAX
the consequences; but not minute be
fore
every good Mr. Lake. Then l shall
read them into Ferentz Steldl, and withou
magic; and then You shall pay Now
Mr.. Withers, if you please.
MIR, Withers IS your solicitor, l pre-
snme? p
81 have not the honor, said Mr.. With
ers, glibly, 70 be IN the profession-il
your profession, sir, that is to say. w
are a firm of professional experts, sir. w
practice the science of autography, and W
: collect and deal in the autograph letters O