The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-03-29
The Strange Legacy.
HDLEAsE to read that again, Mr..

"DLEAsE to read that again, Mr..
/ Surrogate"
Certainly, 1t Is as follows Five thou.
sand dollars to Julia May, daughter of
my daughter Mabel"
There were flutterings, fldgetings and
whisperlngs and exclamations In the
surrogate's court ms his honor read q
second time this clause of the will.
Mabel Anderson turned white as marble,
and gazed fixedly across at the paper,
looking at nobody, while everybody
looked at her. Her fine nostrils expand
ed, her refined lips compressed, and her
deep, dark, passionate eyes flashed more
keenly than the great solitaire that roll
ed and bazed ut her throat with the
quick heaving of her bosom.
Daughter of my daughter ~ How
the words rang in her ears How her
soul writhed and strained In It's startled
and sudden agony Who had exhumed
that long-buried and terrible secret?
Why and how had its discovery been
kept from her until nowp How had IL
reached her fathers knowledge Why
had he not spoken OF It TO her before his
death : Why had she not been up.
preached In privacy, where quiet ad-
justment might have been made ? These
with a thousand other like thoughts,
glanced as lightning through her mind
during the minutes pause that followed
the reading.
Nearly opposite Mrs. Anderson sat
lady somewhat her senior, but of equally
intelligent appearance and elegance of
dress and manner. This was Mrs. Ray
mond, of the same city-New York.
Besides her sat young lady, apparently
10 years of age-her adopted daughter,
Julia May Raymond, described In the
will as daughter Of my daughter Ma
bel.n
Mrs. Raymond regarded Mrs. Ander-
son with steady, keen observance as
the mysterious clause was read. AS to
Miss Julia, she only casually noticed
that the name in the will was like her
own. OF the momentary sensation In
court she understood nothing, for she
was as yet unaware of her true relation
to either Mrs. Anderson or Mrs. Ray
mond.
The reading went on TO the close, the
subscribing witnesses were sworn and
their testimony taken. The instrument
being uncontested, and the proof sufll-
cient, the surrogate declared it to be
genuine, true and valid. This done, the
immediate parties in interest dispersed,
while the throng of lockers on, which
consisted largely of ladies, gathered In
bevies to gossip over the revelations of
the will, and speculate upon results.
Mabel Anderson came of one of the
most distinguished families upon Man
haitian Island, and married man whose
character, wealth and distinction rem
dered him in every way her equal. Not
withstanding this, she had las Tennyson
has it) "tripped in her day" This was
before she ever received the attentions
of the man who became her husband.
Her partner in this wrong did not for
sake her in her extremity. Upon the
contrary, so prudently was the unfor-
tunate affair handled, that not breath
of it came to Mabel's relatives nor to
the circle in which she moved, nor did
the shadow of suspicion pass upon her
name.
AT daybreak upon morning in June,
during the time of which we are writing.
young woman, apparently domestic,
placed upon the porch at the side en-
trance of handsome mansion in New
York, large covered wicker basket.
She then silently and quickly returned
to the street and disappeared.
The little inmate of the basket was
not long in "raising the house." The
kind hearted lady who first heard the
cry, and went to the door to ascertain
its cause, was Mrs. Raymond, then but
recently married; the identical person
who afterwards appeared in court with
Miss Julia at the probate of the will.
Examination of the basket revealed
handsome, healthy female child, appar-
emily month old. Its clothing was all
of the finest fabric, and everything
accompanying the little waif went to
show that it was of no mean origin.
Pinned to its frock was note, written
in delicate and beautiful hand, as
follows
DEAR LADY: This child bears the
blood of two of the most resnectable
families in New York. For some wears
her identity must be concealed. BE
tender and nerciful to her, and in due
time all will be made nIain Har oo,,o