Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-02-16

had met her at the station. She gave
us no time, in fact, for as soon az she
had thrown off her cloak and furs she
plunged into the German lesson that
Francis was giving her, while Anne sat
by with trembling lip.
1T was about this time that one day
we found Grandmamma Gresham sit
| ting dead before her glass.
1t was great shock to us. But I
don't think it was any greater shock
than it was to see Amelia quickly and
quietly 90 to grandmamma's drawers
and take out the jewels and laces there,
carry them away to her own room, and
come down to dinner that night with
the diamonds in her ears. We were
not quite prepared for her taking the
head of the table; but she did, and of
course Anne said nothing.
On the day after the funeral, having
assembled us all in grandmamma's sit
ting room, she produced the will, and
requested DIR. Dinsmore to read it. It
gave everything to her.
81 am very sure there is later will
than that, miss" said Rose, firmly
huClld ulSIlllSoCu LCI III Vic SDOL, NJ
Rose might have known she would; but
Rose repeated firmly what she said,
and then DR.. DinsInore calmly told
Amelia that she could not afford to let
such statement pass as that. But of
course we could not have overharIed
Amelias trunks if we had wanted 10 do
SO, that is, without more publicity and
scandal than we cared to have, al
| though, to tell the truth, on q hint
from Rose, we had already privately
looked in every nook and corner that
we could command, and had taken
down and opened every book in the IL
brary, but to no purpose. There had
been something in Grandmamma
Gresham's manner toward Anne, es-
peciaily of late, that made George and
| think she could not be meaning to
leave her altogether unbefriended; the
more, too, because she seemed to feel
bitter and ashamed concerning
Amelia's conduct. l will confess that
was more malicious than avaricious
about it, however. / knew that Francis
Evans was only thinking of Amelias
inheritance; that in his heart it was
Anne for whom he cared, and he was
selling his sou's birthright for a mess of
pottage, and l should have liked to balk
and battle him.
"a family physician, said Amelia,
with 6 great dignity that did not be-
come her sort of nose, lis allowed
some license, but perhaps SO much will
not be taken again when it is known
that / now have protector"
"a protector said George, without
thinking.
EYES," she answered. "And will
tell you, because we are going away
for week, that don't suppose it will
be particularly pleasant for you to be
here on our return, as Francis and |
were married this morning"
There was dead silence for mo-
ment in the gloomy room that dark
winter morning, and then the report of
cannon rolled through the air, fol-
lowed by another, and remembered,
as l ran to the window, hardly know
ing what did, but doing anything in
my embarrassment, that it was the
twenty-second of February.
"Washingtcn's birthday" said Geor-
gle, feeling just as l did. Dear me!
| | should think the father Of his country
might have had powder enough in his
lifetime" But she stopped, for DR..
Dinsmore vas speaking, and l never
shall forget how proud felt as turn
ed and looked in his honest eyes.
eve cannot congratulate you, Amel-
Ia" he said, son your choice of hns-
band who has been willing to play so
infamous part" All at once the
room was illuminated by mighty
fash. and report clapped through it
and out again, and seemed to shake
the very rafters of the roof and the
stones of the foundation. The great
gun on the hillside had burst, and at
the same moment Grandmamma
Gresham swinging glass in which her
own grandma other had dressed to be
married, rs she 80 many times had told
us, answered to the fearful vibration,
rent in cracks, like the rays Of great
sun, from side to side and from top to
bottom, in countless splinters, and the
shivered, shattered bits tumbled out
upon the floor, and with them large
folded sheet of paper.
| "Out flew the web and aosted wide;
| The mirror cracked from side to side
The curse is come upon me, cried
| The Lady of Shslott,"
l exclaimed, in a sort of hysterical ex-
element, rs l saw that paper and
sprang for it.
Amela's quick eyes had seen it too,
though and she also darted in it's d.
rection. Rose was before her. cit is
madams last WILL" she said. ''It is
just her way She was always hiding
her things. | knew it. She tucked it
| between the back board and glass, you
see. l knew it, for ! witnessed it,
though she bound me to silence"
And she gave the paper to DIR. Dins-
more
1t WAS very Grief. But when it was
read, it was found that out of the greatly
diminished estate Amelia had an an
nuity of four hundred dollars q year;
and .he mansion house, with all it con-
tanned, and with everything else, be-
longed to Anne and Georgia.