Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-25
THE HIDDEN WILL

THE HIDDEN WILL
On North Broad street, Just below
| where the tracks Of The Philsdelphia
| and Germantown railroad cross that
| thorourhfsrs, stands . ruined mansion
| housc that half . century ago wa brave
With pIllared pottioo~ and quantity
| carved doors and window frames II 4
| today . cheap tenement houss, inhabited
| b. . half dozen families, and the work
Of improvement has left We entrance
| door several se. blow TIE Sidewalk. In
| IL hAlcyou days this old msndon WA a.
| many feet above liz surrounding garden
| q Il Il now below thc asphalt paved
street. II WA tho home Of Jabez Fields,
. hard. stern old mAa. proud ~ prince
| and = rcsrrved and unsocisl - he Wa
! hanshty. His only living relatives wers
. xrandnicce. Alice Fields, and grand.
nephew, John Wilcox.
John Wilcox WA . prosperous Arch
street merchant, with . comfortable
bank account and landed and bond
aud stock estate that made him one
Of the Quaker Citys richest men. He
was not on god terms y''h his sristo.
cratic od grandunele. who despissd
trade and everybody who lsbored for
living. nj therefore not strange that
the latter totally Ignored his grandnieoe.
pretty Alice Fields. who was - poor a.
; church noue and school teacher by
occupation. John Wilcox was - Avan.
cious - 10 was wealthy, and when word
was scnt 10 him one day that old Jabcz
Fields had died suddenly no hastcned at
once 10 Tho deed mans picturesque man.
riou and locking himself In tho library
began % search for his rAnduncie's
will. TO his Joy, In tin boz In which
|old Jabes uscd 10 hep valuable papcu,
hc found tho document foe which he
Twas hunting. With trembling hands he
s,nfolded the crisp parchment, ran his
|eyer over the elosrly written lines and .
fry Of Joy escaped him. He had been
made sole heir TO the dad mana estate.
Much chAsrined Wa he. therefore,
uhen . letter from JAb-z rslds' lawyer,
amcs Dunnct, sddrossd 10 Mary Smith,
ehs old mans housekeper. wa shown
him There Wa later will, and on the
DAY Of the funeral the lawyer would
BONE 10 the old manaion 70 read II.
Hes probably left . good slice 10
some charity" soliloquircd WILCOX, after
|the houpkeeper had left the room, and
still confident that what was left would
come 10 him no nodded pityingly TO his
school teacher oouan when they met at
the funeral and mentally resolved 10
make her present Of ten dollars 10 buy
. now hat, gloves and shoes, all Of which
articles Of apparel wcrc very shabby.
II was a misty, lowering day and the
old mansion seemed more than ordinari.
" dull and gloomy when the cousins 10
turned 70 II after all that remained Of
their granduncle had bern laid at rest
In patience they awaited tho coming Of
Ne lawyer. but when 10 o'clock arrived
and he did no; pu. In an appearance the
housekeeper showed them 70 their room.
and procseded. with the assistance Of the
butler. 70 lock up ths houss These two
vsFe hzing tho iAatsnings 10 the biz
front door when the sound Of carriage
wheels crunching tho gravelei drive WA.
hard, and when Mary Smith ourned the
ecg Lawyer Dunno, confronted her.
1have been detained, Mary smith,
y Md, land won't rad the will uptiI
so.orow. Have . fp lighted In INV
ssdFccm. for this mist has penetrated 10
we sfin' and BY the way, Mary, send
NJ up some hot water and = bcttle al
~ o,d mans whisky. think punch
WI DO mo good"
The houseksper assured hin, ri.
vsae should b attended 10, and the IN.
s1enn Of the warm punch and tbe Ar.
ssdi'y made the lawyer very drowsy.
LOT retiring he took the will from Ma
oess' and laid II on the antique mn.
scgsny table which stood In ths midJI.
S,as room. He was an early riser. md
~nen he lsapod out Of bod tho next morn.
- ~ sy~ turned instinotiyely 10 tbe
eole Hs started back with a ras, ~
' .'s,l Tho will was gone.
..nai he cried, rubbing his evea.
nass stranger And, without stop.
eng 70 dreas, be Examined the fasteninr,
.. hs door and wihdow,. Thsv VII
~ sssure, and, although he searched ,hs
w. OS'n :. 'ssoroushy, the missing viii could Md
After breakfast tbe ,srv.n,. NJ.
~ .a' !. and the two cousins, assembled n
W. library and the lawyer tool n no. I.
~ , ~ the center Of the ROOM
when reached here lsst r,.,,..
~ aa y, wilh HE eyes on John Wilcox's
!, va The last will and testament
.. y ~, : mend. Jaber Fields, In my pos.
~ ''O ~ and then hs told Of its my.ier,.
49, ~sAgl,A'anee. He kep. his eyes
s - No, a. John wilcor's face, and the IN,
IN" 'Nu uneasily and changed color
~ you mean 10 say that I bad an
Slu rs a q. 20 with Its Disappearance he
"isccuse no one answ.-., A..
IN I . and then he asked for M.
1 dsaa T y asa. had been found among the
Wh.n mana r,' papers by his grandpsphew.
Iin.,."' ts produced II thu LAWYER
/ Z so,s,'', us spentacles, and with lcol,
E,lSa A l,s directed toward Alice
ss'' as s4'd' Unfortunately the two wit,
Ih,.. % Inc missing will are dead. bu,
.'nx We can prove It's existence and
M o'ens u Miss Field wishos"--
| W. ~ 3. h ~ protested Alice quickly
~ voc world. aud when Layye,