Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-10-25
CHAPTER. Xv.

It was a sad house when MT. WllcoX'S body was taken from it in n casket and carried to the New York Central Depot where it was placed on a train and con veyed to the Now England village where he had expressed desire to be buried.
 Mrs. DeIaro and Armida accompanied the body, as also did Mir. modger, and as the last rites were administered that soft-hearted old gentleman wiped away big tears from his eyes with flaring rcd silk handkerchief. He could hardly | think it true that the close friend of his l early days had been carried of so sud denly and it was with sad heart that he turned his back on the grave. There was no ostentatious di splay; every thing was simple as the honest old million aires life had been. He had but few friends during life whom he could call friends and three of them wept at his grave.
 Hearing of his death a large number of his relations lfad presented them selves at his house in New York and commenced iuterferences which wcrc boldly and decisively checked by Mrs. Delaro and tho lawyers. Many of them wore persons who treated the dead mill- ionaire very badly boforo he migrated
 
 dcavorcd to become more intimate with him in later years. These he had sue CeSsfully kept at arms length; neverthe- l loss they rallied, like carrion crows, l fillod with the fond hope that he had not forgotten his relations in his last hours, and all expected that their names would be found in the will in connec- tion with fat lcracies. Had they been tpI f,l nf hA Ill l less severe would have been their dis uppoir tment
 In most caSes they were ignored al- together and only few of their names were mentioned in the will which was n few weeks later admitted to probate. To the aStoaish- mont of all. and moro especially to tho ! New England relatives, the bulk of Joel WilcoX's wealth including mining and railroad stocks representing enorm- ous sums he bcQucathcd to Percy Lovcl. l To Mrs, Dclaro he left nearly all his | California estates and among them was the Posado vineyard which was ROW once moro the property of the Delaros. To Armida he gave his beautiful mansion and grounds in the Sonoma valley, and the rest of his few bcQuests consisted of various sums left | to charitable institutions and those of his relatives for whom he had still re- tained somo regard. This, briefly, was the last will and testament of Joel Wilcox.
 1 It was not until his body was laid to rest that Mrs. Dclaro thoroughly com prehended how true and staunch n friend she had lost, and sho now felt very much alonc in tho world. True, her daughter remained; but the stout hearts who had passed their word to assist her in every way to accomplish tho purpose of her llfe had left her side and she had grave fears that her efforts might now fall short of her one cherished desire.
 The house in which Mir. Wilcox had died soon became too dreary a place for Armida to be confined in and her mother noticed it. It would never do to see the healthy color leave those checks a change must be sought, and that very soon. Yet something ought to be learned of Porcy Lovel, thought Mrs. Dclaro. What was to be learned came soon to hand, but 1t was eminently un- satisfactory.
 The letter from the American Consul at Buenos Ayres macely stated that a gentleman travelling as Mir. Byron Huntly had appeared in that city, but his stay had been only brief one. He had taken a trip into the interior, he said, and nothing had been heard from him since. But as such occurrences were not infrequont it had caused no se- riouS investigations to be made, though should any other news como to hand the Consul promised to advise Mir. Wilcox.
 This letter did not arrive until after Mir. WilcoX's death, and 1t troubled Mrs Delaro not little. She had heard that Mir. Emerick was again in New York, and she had advised Mrs. Breezy of the fact, but had not seen that good woman since.
 Some few weeks later another letter arrived from Buenos Ayres conveying the sad intelligence that the body of . man, dressed exactly as tha supposed Mir. Huntly was known to have dressed, had been taken from the river few miles below San Nicholas, the last place from whence tidings of the traveller had been received.
 This communication was a great blow to Mrs. Oelaro. What should she dc now that she had no adviser left? And how should she complete the only pur | RSSS SAS "ShhONASOSS0 III ueE l1I9 Then there was all that idle wealth o Percy's, left him by Mir. Wilcox-what would become of that? She finally fell that tho thought of all that had hap pened within the past few months would be too much for her among such close associations and constant reminders o it, so she resolved to go away and seek in change of scenes at least a little re pose. She would leave every thing 1T , the lawyers hands and go to Europe, While these thoughts were passing through her mind Armida walked int , the room whore hor mother was sittias and said that Mir Blodger had just madt Q hurried visit and had been speakin, of Mrs. Bregy. He had told her that i 5 was almost impossible to get tn, , Frenchwoman to leave New York, nov that she know that ME Emerick, whom | aha ctill Vnarcf ctn1 h '.