The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-07-23

The wretched creature gasped twice or
thrice, and said, in hoarse, strange voice:
''There amt none"
Then what have you done with it, you
wretch:" we all screamed, gathering close
around him.
The very life seemed to die out of his
face, and only the glariug eyes turned
toward US as he groaned: "There never
was any"
Liar" everybody shouted. 80. you
awful liar. You robber. You thief O.,
you miserable scoundrelt You dreadful
thiefw
And Hamer Powell started Alice's boy
of on the run to bring a policeman and the
burgess and the bank watchInan to arrest
the brazen-faced embezzler.
But just before the policeman made the
arrest, Lawyer Boaney, who had stopped
at the bank on the way to get Aunt
Powell's tin box, came in and told us
everything. for Abner was now incapable
OF coherent speech.
Aunt Powell's '.manor- house" st Sken-
adoquOnookSis was q little fOur-room
cottage, swallowed UP clear ont of sight,
Lawyer Bonney said, by two mortgages
and tax-title, and that was all. She
never had a dollar in the world beyond her
savings from her salary as a school
teacher, and those were all spent since she
came to Gloster. The pine lands on the ST.
CroiX, the railroad and mining stock and
Bangor town lots described in the will, were
pleasant tctions of Aunt Powell's brain.
There was one hope left. The sealed and
brass-locked tin box. While we sat,
stunned and dumb, staring at each other,
the box was opened. 1t contained all our
letters OF years past, written to her when
we Thought she was very wealthy. Only
these and nothing more.
There was hollow groan run all around
the room. "For mercy's sake" said Alice.
"do pull down the blinds, somebody"
And then the boys and Lawyer Bonney
counted up all the expenses of the funeral
and Abner's trip and the lawyers expenses
and fees, and we had TO throw in and
make up the amount. All but Sarah's hus-
band, he only grinned when Hamer told
him what his share would be.
Not cent" he protested shaking his
resolute head. "Aunt Powell didn't leave
me anything in her will"
1T seems to me" says Lem by and by,
breaking an awful silence with the well
come sound of the human voice, ''that our
Aunt Powell kind of played it on u.s."
''That amt the worst of it," groaned
Abner, rolling his hollow eyes up to-
ward us-"that amt the worst of it,"
We caught our breath and waited.
''Tell us the worst, man." said Hamer.
''She amt our Aunt Powell, and never
was" said Abner, speaking like dying
man. Fathers sister Lucy married a
Ship-bullder and moved down to Bath
fifteen years ago, and she's living there
now. This woman was her housekeeper
when she lived in"
If he finished the sentence nobody heard
him. When four women faint and one goes
into Mysteries at the same time, nobody in
that room pays much attention to CONVEX
satiOn.
Well, Lem was tender as a mother to me
that night. Once only, after he had put
foh ha1 frrnr tah Nd
was smoothing away my headache, he
said, "Well, I'm only a Powell by brevet,
and | never can take full rank, but"
But guess 1 looked to o miserable to be
teased, for he smiled, stopped to kiss me,
and suddenly changed his tone.
And, after ALL" he said, ''Ward and
Sarah are the only ones who got anything
out of Aunt Powell's will. The guerillas
are in luck."-R. j. BWdette, in HaFper'S
NnnnzinP