Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-07-12

Z
What y cried, ia huge astonish-
ment, LEAVES hernearly everything"
Yes and very natural, too. Why
notg"
Up to this moment | had, since the
lawyer opened his business to me, but
one idea, which was, that on the night
on which the old man died, his niece,
this VERY nice girl, y had come to his
chambers. searched for the WILL and.
for her own advantage, distracted
and destroyed it. Had done that and
had, into the bargain, startled me first
and fooled me afterward But how
about this theory nowl Cui bono
~ can't make it out" ! said slowly
nursing my chin.
Nor can | Z" cried the other briskly.
Us theniece, Miss-Miss Greathead,
of very Quixotic spirit} at all likely
to burn the will to benefit some one
/ else?n
shes not so mad as to throw away
seventy thousand pounds, if you mean
that. Good heavens, sir, what suggest
ed such a thing to youf'
| told him all that had occurred on
/ the Saturday night, just as had re-
I lated it above. If my readers feel a
I 1.-THE of the wonder he expressed, |
am satisfied with my power Of descrip
/ ton
IF YOU had not told me face to
/ face, sir, / would not have believed a
/ syllable of it," he said emphatically,
mot a syllable"
Gould youN-after / had thought
a minute or could you procure
me a glimpse of Miss Greathead, or of
her Photograph
Our Mr.. Ford actually blushed
"Well, ] could. Perhaps it would be
more satisfactory if you saw her
self.
Not at all. . What in the world
made the man fdget sol
Then | think have somewhere,
if I've not left it, the very thing you
want Oh, yes, here it is And after
fumbling in all his other pockets,
from his breast-pocket Mr. Ford, lit
tie red in the face, produced a neat
little Russia leather case lie opened
this and held the portrait within for
my inspection.
WellW he uttered impatiently,
while with a critical eye | was exam
ining a very pretty, very youthful,
wholly good face.
Nose n little, Just little, too de-
trOusSe." | murmured
Ehf' shutting it up with an angry
snap
But, however, that is not the lady
who was occupied here on Saturday
night. That is one point clear, Mr..
Ford Now, who would profit by the
destruction Of this will} Is there any
earlier one in existenceN
Yes There is a former will discov-
cred in the serieant's desk at home. 1t
was made before Olive-I mean Miss
observation-disclosures to live with him.
Its date'
January, 1879.
"Well2n
at leaves two-thirds of the estate
to the cousin who then kept house for
him.
"A tall, pale, dark-eyed woman, de
cidedly good-lookingl'
Yes. BY jove, 1 see She was your
visitor, and, with instructive caution,
gave Olives name, or rather descrip-
ton, he cried
And has destroyed the last willT'
Il don't know so much about that, -
he answered, slowly wiping his fore
head. "She did not burn it here, as
you say the fire was out. She might
keep it to see how things would turn
out. 1t gives her f5, 600 too.
"Ah, does it! What a woman.
Does it really Well, then, we Gang get
it back by a bold stroke. I'm with
you in this Mr. Ford 1t gets interest
ing The first will, which must be
proved if the last be not found, gives
the housekeeping cousin two-thirds,
about $50, 600 say the latter and miss
ing viii gives her $4,000 But sup
pose one were-only suppose--one
were to turn up between the two and
give her nothing, ehl'
NO chance" said the lawy4 II
don't think | quite follow you.
II can explain in two words You
See
But as the two wpds heightened
themselves to two hundred. as two al- !
ways do, | need not 90 through any
more OF our conversation. Its drift
will be guessed by, the sagaciousread-
en-
AZ parting. Its rather a serious
thing YOU know said the lawyer
-ruefully.
Yes, SO | answered mischievou>ly;
its tive years.
We were assembled in the dead
mans dying room in Gloucester Road
to hear the will read. 1t may seem
odd that / should have been present
at this merely family matter, but the
fact is that l. John Warrington ofthe
Inner Temple. balTisterat law, was
not 4 silent and humble gentleman.
with "a beard and glasses, with also
Seedv coat and boots TO match, and a
habl. of taking snuff surrentitously
vet with certain Wuountof oSteuta-
ton, was present But he was merely
Mr. Ford clerk, and if his figure and
face We're not familiar sights in theof-
fee of MesSrs Ford. Ford and Bittle.
why Mr. Ford had right to engage
a special clork foU business of SO con-
iideutiai q nature as this. There were
NOT many present. The tall. gracious.