Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-18
ucted him to the room occupied BY her mother

pocket handkerchief and busted with that: and
it was also black. She had been an energetic
woman in her youth, and now that she suffered
from her heart, was impatient at not being al
lowed to do as much as she had been won't.
She had made an excellent housekeeper to Mr..
Pennycomequick. When he was short of do
mestics she turned her hand to anything
cooked, did housework, needlework-would
have cleaned the knives and boots if the boy
had failed. Tae deficiency in servants was not
an extraordinary event. In a manufacturing
district few girls care to enter domestic service
and submit to its restraints when they can
earn their livelihood at the mills, and have the
evenings to themselves in which to meet their
friends. When Mr.. Pennycomequick's estsb-
lishment was complete, she spent her
day in making up for the deficiencies
of the domestics-putting stright what
they had crooked, cleaning out
corners they had neglected, brushing down
cobwebs they had overlooked. detecting break
ages they had made, and repairing rents they
had effected in the household linen. She was
not a good-looking woman, but the likeness of
the two girls TO her was traceable; moreover,
she must have had at one time auburn hair, for
though her hair was much darker now, it had
in it glints of red copper. Her heart complaint
had given to her face a waxy, even greenish
tint and her lips were leaden.
On being introduced to her, Philip felt some
what ashamed of not having made her ac-
quaintance before because he had allowed
himself to be influenced by Mrs. Sidebottom's
prejudice. His aunt had treated the widow
with studied indifference, and when noticing
her, behaved toward her with superciliousness.
Mrs. ellsworth had accordingly kept very much
to herself in the rooms allotted to her use
Janet was fred with indignation at the dis
courtesy shown to her mother; she wished to
defy Mrs. Sidebottom, but her mother bade her
remember that now this lady was in authority,
and that she and her daughters remained in
the house upon sufferance only.
Philip bowed on entering, and apologized
somewhat lamely for not having made the
ladys acquaintance earlier, and then, turning,
saw Salome glide out of the room with her arm
in that of her sister. The girl rightly under
stood that Philip desired to speak with Mrs.
ellsworth alone. He proceeded at once to
cross-question her on the subject of the will,
"You must excuse me-" he said, "but am
forced to make inquiries. i presume you have
been told that very advantageous will, made
in favor of your daughter. has been found,
cancelled, and no subsequently drawn will has
been discovered. Mr.. Pennycomequick gave
this valueless one to Miss ellsworth to keep,
and cannot doubt he did SO believing he in.
trusted her with one that was valid. Now,
quent will which has disappeared, or the will
has been-no, 1 will not commit myself to the
statement of the alternative. Be so good as to
tell me what you recollect about the signing of
the will.
'It was done just after Janet's wedding"
"Were you aware of the contents?'
Certainly not Mr.. Pennycomequick sent
for me in his study, where he was with DR..
Dale. He merely asked me to witness his
signature to his will; but he entered into nc
particulars"
"You ad no reason to believe he intended
to constitute Miss ellsworth his heiress?"
mot the least. l supposed he would leave
her something as he had dealt so literally by
my other daughter at her marriage; neither
wished for nor expected more; certainly foI
nothing which might cause annoyance to the
family"
HE never alluded to his intentionT'
'tNever. He was reserved man."
"And you have no reason to suppose he
made another will subsequent to that?'
Il know nothing. 1 was not called in to wit
ness another"
Thank you," said Philip rising. "The mys
| terry is to me as dark now as before only'-and
this he said to himself-"the one explanation
gave at first is, am now convinced, certainly
| the wrong one."
CHAPTER XIV.-ADMINIsTRATIo
Philip Pennycomequick returned TO the
| garden. He was still greatly perplexed, but a
new and disquieting suspicion had invaded his
mind. He was now completely.satisfied that
no undue influence had been used to force the
| old man to make his extraordinary will. He
was also tolerably certain that he handed it to
Salome in good faith, believing it to be un.
touched. The will had been tampered with
either just before or after his death. 1t was
| hardly possible that this could have been done
before, when preserved. as he little doubted,
in the iron chest in which jeremiah kept all
his deeds and papers of value. 1t was more
| probable that the mutilation had been effected
atterward, when carelessly kept in Salome's
workbox. which probably had a lock easily
fitted with a key, and which was sometimes
incautiously left unlocked when Salome was
not in her room.
But who would be likely to do such an act
commit felony? He dared not accuse his
aunt; even IN thought such an accusation was
too terrible. He had no confidence in hel
rectitude. His mistrust of her truthfulness
had been deepened by her audacious assertion
| that jeremiah had worn a nightshirt she had
| given him, statement which he was convinced
was untrue, and one made by her to get owe,
the difficulty about the linen of the drowned
man differing from that known to have be
longed to her brother.
He could not disguise from himself that, or
| the supposition that Mrs. Sidebottom ha6
mutilated the will all the difficulty in explain
ing the mystery disappeared. She had heard
| from Salome where the will was-in her desl
| and in her room. 1t was to Mrs. Sidebottom',
interest to know its contents, and to invalidatt
| it when she did know them. But Philip, though
| he held his aunt in low esteem, could hardly
think she could be guilty of such w1ckedness
| But how else explain the difficulty. Then
again, supposing he reached moral conviction
that she had tampered with the document. wha
! course could he pursue? He had absolutely NJ
evidence to justify public accusation, anC
without very strong and conclusive evidence ht
could not make such charge-a charge o.
| felony against his own aunt
When he considered the grounds on which
his suspicion rested, he found how slight they
WERE The facts were that Mrs Sidebotton
| knew where the will was, that she was in thu
| house. and had opportunities of obtaining ac
cess to the will, and that it was to her interes
to destroy its force. He had no reason tt
think his aunt morally capable of such a crime
His belief in her veracity was shaken, but it ii
| long way between telling lie and commit
ting a crime such as that he was half-inclinet
| to attribute to her.
With his m1nd SIll unsatlsned ne went to the
| study, where he knew he would find her. CAP
tain Lambert had gone out The Captain haG
borne the restraint imposed on him by the
death of his uncle with impatience. He haG
been prevented from playing his usual game ot
| billiards He had yawned in the morning and
| stoop at the WINDOW with his hands in his pock
cts, then had shifted his position to the fre
and stood before that with his hands behind
him, and found neither position to his taste
In the afternoon he had lounged between the
two houses, and had sonntered in the garden
and grumbled and yawned continually In the
| evening when alone after dinner in his frorge6