The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-07-03
THE HIDDEN WILL

ana GERMANTOWN railroad cross thai
thoroughfare, stands ruined mansion
house that half century ago was Draw
with pillared porticos and quaint!
carved doors and window frames. It i
today a cheap tenement house, inhabite(
by q half dozen families, and the worl
Of improvement has left the entrance
door several feet below the sidewalk. In
its halcyon days this old mansion was a.
many feet above its surrounding garden
as it is now below the asphalt paved
street. 1t was the home Of Jabez Fields
q hard, stern old man, proud as prince
and as reserved and unsocial as he wal
naughty. His only living relatives were
. grandniece, Alice Fields, and grand
nephew, John Wilcox.
John Wilcox was q prosperous Arch
street merchant, with comfortable
bank account and landed and bond
and stock estate that made him one
of the Quaker City's richest men. He
was not on good terms with his aristo-
cratic old granduncle, who despised
trade and everybody who labored for a
living. It is therefore not strange that
the latter totally ignored his grandniece,
pretty Alice Fields, who was as poor as
a church mouse and school teacher by
occupation. John Wilcox was as avari-
cious as he was wealthy, and when word
was sent to him one day that old Jabez
Fields had died suddenly he fastened at
once to the dead mans picturesque man.
sion and locking himself in the library
began to search for his granduncle's
will. To his joy, in tin box in which
old Jabex used to keep valuable papers,
he found the document for which he
was hunting. With trembling hands he
unfolded the crisp parchment, ran his
eyes over the closely written lines and a
cry of joy escaped him. He had been
made sole heir to the dead mans estate.
Much chagrined was he, therefore,
when letter from Jabez Fields lawyer,
James Dunnet, addressed to Mary Smith,
the old mans housekeeper, was shown
him. There was a later will, and on the
day of the funeral the lawyer would
come to the old mansion to read it.
"He's probably left a good slice to
some charity" soliloquized Wilcox, after
the housekeeper had left the room, and
still confident that what was left would
come to him he nodded pityingly to his
school teacher cousin when they met at
the funeral and mentally resolved to
make her present of ten dollars to buy
a new hat, gloves and shoes, all of which
articles of apparel were very shabby.
1t was a misty, lowering day and the
old mansion seemed more than ordinari-
ly dull and gloomy when the cousins re-
turned to it after all that remained of
their g-anduncle had been laid at rest.
In patience they awaited the coming Of
the lawyer, but when 10 o'clock arrived |
and he did not put in an appearance the
housekeeper showed them to their rooms |
and proceeded, with the assistance of the
butler, to lock up the house. These two |
were fixing the fastenings to the big
front door when the sound of carriage |
wheels crunching the graveled drive, was
heard, and when Mary Smith opened the
door Lawyer Dunnet confronted her.
II have been detained, Mary Smith,"
he said, land won't read the will until |
tomorrow. Have fire lighted in my
bedroom, for this mist has penetrated to
the skin; and by the way, Mary, send
me up some hot water and bottle of
the old mans whisky. l think punch
will do me good"
The housekeeper assured him that his
wants should be attended to, and the in
duence Of the warm punch and the fire |
speedily made the lawyer very drowsy.
Before retiring he took the will from his
pocket and laid it on the antique ma
hogany table which stood in the middle
of the room. He was an early riser, and
when he leaped out of bed the next morn
ing his eyes turned instinctively to the
table. He started back with a gasp of
The will was gone.
"Haw he cried. rubbing his eyes.
''That's stranger And, without stop
ping to dress, he examined the fastenings
Of the doors and windows. They were
all secure, and, although he searched the
room thoroughly, the missing will could
not be found.
, After breakfast the servants, Mary
smith and the two cousins, assembled in
he libhary and the lawyer took a posi-
ion in the center Of the room.
when reached here last night" he
,egan, with his eyes ON John Wilcox's
ace, 81 had the last will and testament
# my old friend, Jabez Fields, in my pos
ession," and then he told of its mysteri-
Jus disappearance. He kept his eyes
ixed on John Wilcox's face, and the lat
or shifted uneasily and changed color.
"Do you mean to say that I had any
hing to do with its disappearance" he
'Grted out at last.
81 accuse no one," answered the law
,er quietly, and then he asked for tn.
viii which had been found among the
lead mans papers by his granddaughter.
When Wilcox produced it the lawyer
,diusted his spectacles, and with a look
f commiseration directed toward Alice
fields said: UNFORTUNATELY the two wit
,esses to the missing will are dead, but
think we can prove its existence and
t. contents. If Miss Field wishes
.No, mol" protested Alice quickly.
Not for the world" and when Lawyer
Dunnet began to read she slipped quietly
rom the room. There were tears in her