Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-09-30

"Mrs. Gneldt, presume"
eyes SIR"
She asked him to walk in and he did
so, the other following. In the little
parlor they sat down.
"You are Mrs. Hannah Gneldt,
| Oliver Gneldt's wife"
eyes, sir, it is about-about-ex-
cuse me, you look like lawyer, and |
fear it is more trouble for poor Oil
ver."
"Reassure yourself, madam" said
the gentleman; "reassure yourself,
madam. Your husband is not con-
cerned, save through you, and that,
l hope, pleasantly. Your name was
Burns before you were married ?"
eyes sir, Hannah Burns"
'Do you remember dates well?"
"No SIR"
"You have. perhaps, a record of
family events-your own birth, your
parents marriage, your grandfather s
death?"
Hannah Gneldt wonderingly replied,
81 have mothers bible, and they tell
me it's all there"
Chow far back?"
''To grandfather birth, l believe
Grandfather Burns. Hehad one child;
and | am the only one my parents
ever had. Oliver set down our we'd
ding day and our two boys birth
days"
"And your great grandtather-the
record of his death is there?"
81 don't know; you may see. Wait,
I'll call my husband"
Going to the door, Hannah took
down horn, used for that purpose,
and uttered a call, which brought
| Oliver Gneldt home from the field at
once.
He also felt alarmed but explana-
tions quieted him. Almost as as
tonished as his wife, he brought out
the bible.
"The death of my wife's great-grand-
father, Zebulon Burns, is not here, +"
he said. ''The first record is in his
hand, [ believe. 1t is the birth of his
eldest child"
So it proved, and the lawyer looked
disappointed.
''You cannot remember the day of
his death ?" he said. 81 mean the date
of it."
"He died long before l was born, !"
said Hannah, "and, though rich, left
nothing to grandfather. They had
quarreled, [ believe. He told odd
stories of him. He must have been
very eccentric, and servant or house
keeper had great influence over him;
she had the property, Margery-Mar-
gerry ETY.. ,,,.,,
lawyer
eyes," said Hannah, ''I remember
now"
'1ou are quiet people, not likely to
talk too MUCH" said the lawyer. 81
will tell you something. We have
found something. We found a will
among the effects of q legal gentleman
who died very suddenly in a fit OF APP
oplexy. Don't hope too much, mind.
A will IN your favor as your fathers
only child" Hannah clutched her
husbands hand. at was written by
one on his death-bed, dated the 10th
Of March, 17-,and leaves all his prop
erty to your father, his grandson, then
boy. Hush! don't hope too much.
Margery WILDER or her heirs now hold
this property under will dated
March Is, II"
"Alater will, said Oliver. ''Then, of
course, they are therightfulp ossessors.
What need of all this ? The latest must
stand"
''Not if it is forgery" said the law
yer.
Oliver laughed, the bitter laugh OF
care and disappointment.
"Who can prove that?" he said.
mo one. Yet therecord of his death
might. A man whose dying hand
signed will the 10th Of March would
scarcely make another on the 18th.
We believe the, will a forgery, written
on old parchment since the discovery
OF the one have spoken of. Margery
WILDER took possession with legal
forms, for no one appeared to test her
title. Where was your great-grand-
father buried?"
Here said Hannah. "They say
he was brought down at his request
Mrs. WILDER as chief mourner, and his
SON grandfather-not even sent for.
An old graveyard somewhere. Oh o.
iver! Oliver!" She turned quite
white, and uttered a cry. 'tOliver,
that must be the graveyard on Gray's
place that he dug over last winter in
the warm SPELL"
''Then it is gone," said Oliver. "And
our last hope with it. No, gentlemen,
good luck could never come to us.
Poverty means to cling to us to the
last. [ wish you had better clients"
"Qliver! Oliver!" gasped Hannah
Gneldt, "tell me one thing. Zebulon
was my great grandfather's name.
Zebulon is spelled with q, isn't it ?
Oh, do speak,"
II think you are going mad, Han
nah; of course it is"
ooh, the big q, remember it so we'll
and know it was H. and it would have
been broken to places before now.
Oliver, don't you remember my door
step that you were so angry at? do
believe it Is my poor old great grand
fathers tombstone. And not to know
it when l stared at the great u"
Oliver Gneldt said nothing. He
feared his wife's brain had turned, and
that made him faint and cold as he
followed her into thegarden, and there
watched while the three others lifted