The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-11-27

happen. Miss Ashley is left something in
it, IhOpe?"
"She is left everything, with the excep-
ton of some small legacies to the servants
and an annuity to his brother sufficient TO
keep him above want. You are remem-
bered in it also But If the will is not
found Henry Monkton viii take every
thing, as his brothers sole heir"
"Will he, the vagabond? wad be vexed
to sect. Tell me what to do and we'll
begin at aimee"
"Wel, we will take down these books
one by one and see If the will is not by
accident between the leaves of one ofthem,
or it may even be at the back OF the book
case"
There was silence In the room for aeon
siderable time while the search went on.
Eleven o'clock struck They were the only
two awake in that large house. Mr.. Bar
nett was the first to speak.
did Henry Monkton tell you that his
brother and he were on friendly terms
before the death happened?" he inquired
He says he met him last Tuesday in town,
and that they spoke to each other, but /
can't believe il"
This is the first time I've heard q
that; but I've spoken to Henry Monkton
as little as l could"
81 asked Miss Ashley if Mr.. Monkton
had mentioned it to her, and she said he
had not. He would surely have told her
if it had been the case"
Its as likely to be a lie as no. 1
wadna trust that Henry Monkton nae farer
than could see him. But what's this IN
side o this big book? It's the will, do
believer
Mr.. Barnett dropped the book he held
and crossed the room to the side of Mrs.
Crawford. 1T is the willl'' he cried joy
fully. THANK PrOyidenCel | was afraid
it was lost altogether. / ought to have
have been more fortunate than ]"
"Last will and testament of George
Monkton, dated 9TH April 1881" read Mr..
Barnett from the back of the document
at must have got in there Just as / sup
posed" He opened out the will and
glanced hurriedly over it, and as he did
so the expression OF his face changed.
There is some mistake here. This is not
the will | meant. This one was revoked
by another executed some months later !;
in August instead of April, now that l re-
| member but in the same year. This
should have been DESTROYED long ago.
thought Mr. Monkton had burned it."
"And what's the difference between that
one and the other one? ?" asked Mrs. Craw-
ford, not little disappointed at hearing
the will found was not the one sought for.
''The legacies TO you and TO the servants
are the same. The difference is that Miss
Ashley, instead of getting the remainder,
gets only one-third. His brother succeeds
to the other two. This will was drawn
out and signed prior to the quarrel between
the brothers. The one | want was executed
after that time"
81 would be very sick sorry TO see him
get Onything ava, much less two-thirds
We haze fand ae will at onyrate. The other
we're at, reckon. Is that will for use
at az"
'In the event of us not finding the other,
it will be. II contains provision for Miss
Ashley. which is one good thing. If there
was no will she would get nothing. If the
other is not forthcoming we must act on
this one"
''Do We think Mr.. Monkton would ken
o that will being inside the book?"
''No; 1 don't think he would That
book does not seem to have been disturbed
for a long time. He must have thought he
had destroyed it. But yet" The
solicitor stopped short in his speech as
sudden thought struck him. "Ifit be true
that his brother and he had become friendly
again. he may have burned the last will,
intending 10 make new one; or he might
be aware OF the existence of this one
which would do perfectly WELL" he said.
He NAV have even burned the will on the
evening on which he died. Was there any
appearance, Mrs. Crawford, of his having
burned any papers?"
Il heard the housekeeper say he had
been burning some papers, but. of course,
they might be some auld letters or things
o no consequence"
"Quite possible. We will not assume
that it is burned yet, till we see There
goes II o'clock. Another twenty minutes
and we will have finished. What's that? ?"
1t was noise like the faint creaking of
a door, distinctly heard through the still
ness OF the house, seemingly coming from
one OF the rooms on the floor Immediately
above. MIR. Barnett and Mrs. Crawford
both strained their ears to listen. For the
space of nearly minute they heard moth
ing.
Perhaps Miss Ashley or the house
keeper looking out to see if the hall gas is
still lit, or if we are up stairs" Mr. Barnett
said. 81 hope it is not that brother spying
about to see what we are after. If he had
happened to be outside the door little
while ago he might have heard us talking
of the will. There it is again. Some one
is certainly awake up stairs.
Listening intently they now heard a
slight sound, as of afootstep coming slowly
down the stairs step by step. The foot
step seemed too light TO be that of Henry
Monkton; it must be either Miss Ashley
OF the housekeeper, Mrs. Bolding
"They're taking their Draw time, who
ever it is, said Mrs. Crawford in whis-
per. They have got to the foot OF the
stair now. They're coming in here. The
Lord preserve us; it's Mr.. Monkton him
sell %
The door had opened, and a tall figure in
white walked slowly into the room. Mrs.
Crawford, almost fainting with terror,
cowed down on the floor and chung to the
tails of the solicitors frock coat. Both
were opposite the side OF the desk from
the apparition, which advanced with
noiseless tread into the center of the room,
and there paused, regarding them with
fixed stare. 1t held something in its right
hand like long blue packet. Mr.. Bar
nett, his blood freezing in his veins, stood
literally paralyzed and incapable of mo-
ton. He felt his hair rise on his head.
For the space OF one dread minute he
actually believed that the spirit of his
dead friend stood before him. Then came
a wild feeling of relief as he recognized
the apparition. 1t was not the dead man
in the spirit, but his brother in the flesh,
whom he beheld. 1t was Henry Monkton
in fit of somnambulism.