News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-27
THE LOST WILL.

Old Gerald Rushford was dead and
buried, and all the dear five hundred
friends were in state of astonishment
and CONSERVATION over his will, for il
named his pet and protegee, Marian
Gray, his sole heiress, while his nephew,
Robert Rushford, was not even men.
toned
"There is some strange mistake, u
Mr.. Wilde, thu lawyer, said. "There
was later will than this drawn up after
Mr.. Robert came home, and leaving the
bulk of the property to him. In it Miss
Gray was generously remembered, too,
but this one, which makes her heiress,
was made while Mr.. Rushford was ig-
norant that his nephew had escaped,
supposed that this had long since been
destroyed"
"What caused him to suppose SOP"
was Robert Rushford's very natural in
quiry; to which the lawyer replied that
his client had told h1m-on the occasion
of his drawing up the second will-that
it was his intention to put the first one
in the fire.
"And thought he had done so. I
never doubted but this was the latest
will. It seems, however, that we have
got hold of the wrong document the
other will is in existence somewhere.
We will have a thorough search for
it,
"And until you find it, or if you fail
to find it, this one stands" said Robert
Rushford quietly stating a fact which
the lawyer was forced to admit.
Meantime the heiress by the first will,
and legatee by the second, had sat quiet
aud still. She listened, with her eyes
cast down, but spoke no word.
While her friends and acquaintances
discussed her-not always quite inaudi-
bly," What very awkward and pecu-
liar position for Miss Grayl What an
opportunity-if the second will did not
turn up-to show her magnanimity and
sense of honor, by making over the for
tune to young Rushford Doubtless,
in such case, he would be most gener-
Gus to her, and really, you know, to a
girl of Miss Gray's birth and former po-
sltion, few thousands would be for
tune. What was her position? d? A daugh-
ter of old Rushford's housekeeper, my
dear, brought up for a governess, or
something-came on visit to her
mother while the old man was sick, and
nursed him so tenderly and skiilfully
that he could not be persuaded to part
with her again. She has been as a
daughter in the house ever since, and if
young Rushford had never, r,turned up-if
he had really been lost at sea, as was SO
long supposed-why, you know, rich old
men were eccentric, and there would
have been nothing very astonishing in
his making her his heiress after all,
But now-it would be terrible. Utter
ruin to the young mans prospects in
life. OF course his engagement with
Florence Huntley would be broken of.
Florence was not fit for poor mans
wife-a lovely creature-ard he so in:
fatuated, my dear; it will break his
heart to lose her p j
And so on, the stream of gossip
fowed-some portions OF it finding its
way into Marian's ears-until the
searching party returned, and an
nounced that, as yet, they had not
found the second will.
There was a marked increase of re.
spect toward Miss Gray after this intel
igence, and some would have congratu.
lated her, but she checked them.
''It is too early yet" she said, with O
sad smile.
But the gossips agreed that her
chances were favorable.
''And if she really is the heiress, nay
dear, why, of course, it's dreadful fo1
the young man-terrible-but still
Public opinion was disposed to be
kindto the heiress in any case.
"She is not over eager-she bears
her honors meekly-shouldn't wonder
If she turns the fortune over to the
nephew after all r. was the comment OF
many after they left the house and went
their several ways.
They would have judged differently
if they could have seen her that night,
locked securely in her own room, the
blinds and shutters closed, no eyes save
those of Heaven upon her. She unfast-
ened her dress and drew sealed and
folded parchment from her bosom. 1t
! was the missing will