Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-04-12
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

I.
There are many lovely towns lying
along the Connecticut River, but none
more lovely than that near which one of
the Regicides concealed himself for a
long time, to escape pursuit. This old
town has double row of elm and maple
trees on either side of its principle
street, which extends two miles in length
along the river. About half mile from
the southern end of the street stands the
old Walbridge place. This has stood for
nearly two hundred years, and so many
old memories are clustered about it that
relatives near and remote would consider
it great misfortune if the estate were
allowed to pass out of the family.
In the south parlOr of the old house, on
a bleak evening in January, 1860, an old
man lay dying. He was the owner of the
Walbridge homestead, and the last of the
old stock. He had one son who was now
standing by his bedside, and dearly be-
loved daughter who for fifteen years had
cared for him, and who now sat chatting
his cold hands, while her two children
knelt at the foot of the bed, shading their
eyes, dreading to know what this death
bed might reveal to them. John Wal
bridge, the old mans son, a wealthy dis
tiller in distant town, could scarcely
restrain his selfish Impotence that he
had been detained here since yesterday,
and his old father was still alive. The
old man stirred, his eyes slowly opened.
MARY. want to see Mary"
"Here I am, father"
"Alone, alone"
Reluctantly the brother left the room,
and the children were about to follow
when the old man raised his head
feebly-
"RObert-'
The mother, believing Robert to be
wanted, detained him, carefully closing
the door. With difficulty the diving
man spoke. His words were discon-
nected, but he made them understand
that he wanted to speak Of his will, and
he twice or thrice repeated, "'The last
the last" They imagined that there was
more than one will and that he had been
unable or unwilling to choose between
them.
"Afraid of john" gasped the old man.
'Look out" Again he muttered inco-
herently, 81 put it in the"
Thinking to help his feebleness Mary
asked: Did you leave your last will in
your study?'
A decided negative movement of the
head and a glance of his eyes answered
her. Gin the He stopped Mary
turned her head and saw her brother
John standing in the door, The diving
man had seen him first and the sight
arrested the words that trembled on his
lips. The effort at conversation had ex-
hausted the sick man, and, although he
several times opened his eyes and once or
twice pressed Mary's hand feeblv. he
spoke no more, and at midnight he died.
Robert, lad of sixteen, was shrewd
enough not to mention the conversation,
which had evidently not been overheard
by his uncle John, and who, as only
the last dislointed sentence reached his
ears, had failed in his object of caves
dropping.
During the interval between the old
mans death and burial, John Walbridge,
as the only son and sole heir of his faith
er's large estate, remained master of the
house. He had just now a special rea-
son for discovering any will made of late
by his father, for in a recent visit he had
with some difficulty convinced his father
of the incapacity of any woman to man
age business; and having given his prom
Use that he would provide for his sister
Mary and her children literally, he had
IlAC SstIlo1dSlIoII u seeing his IaI0er Sign
a will bequeathing to him the bulk of the
family property, leaving only a small
balance in requests to various relatives,
and to the church of which he was a mem
Der and liberal supporter. Much to
Johns anxiety, however, he had not seen
the will witnessed, for his father was un-
willing to make Mary a witness of her
own misfortune and the one domestic was
away for the night. John, however, ex-
acted from his father the promise that
the will should be witnessed in the morn
ing, nothing having been changed mean
while. He had such confidence in his
fathers word that he left early in the
morning without having ascertained any.
thing save that his father was as well as
usual.
To the funeral of Deacon John Wal
bridge gathered all the old settlers for
miles around. He had been well known
and beloved. and many were the wishes