River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-05-14
The HIDDEN WILL
An Interesting Episode of the Coal oil Dis
cONerfas in i,ennsrIranin

THAT girl looks like one of Raphaers
Madonnas. ! never saw a more lovely
face, 50 pure and good. Is she one of
the attendants here?4
YES. | know her people. Her father
and mother are country Dutch. and
more than usually rugged and hard.
featured Where the girl gets her
beauty is a matter of wonder Her
name IS Gaines"
The speakers are two ladies who have
been exam ming the pictures in an Arch
street Photographic gallery. and the girl
Of whom they have spoken is arranging
frames against the wall. Mary Gaines
beauty deserves all the commentator
Of her admirers, and is an index to her
character Pure, upright, she has kind
ly consideration for all, and even the
most envious admit that Mary has no
enemies.
The physical contrast between the
father, mother and daughter is startling
enough. Old Gaines is a very hard
working man, and so ignorant that he,
can neither read nor write He worked
in the coal mines for many years, and
put the savings Of his life into 500 acres.
of wild land in Clarion county. But the
farm was rugged and sterile, and. leav-
ing his brother to work it, the old man
came to this city and got position on
the Reading railroad as Waterman. and
with Mary's help and Mrs. Gaines thrift
they made a decent living.
At this time the coal oil discoveries
We're made, and rude mountaineers, who
had seldom a shoe on their feet, and
quart of corn whisky, found them
selves millionaires In this good for
tune Peter Gaines was destined to par
ticipate Although illiterate. he was
shrewd, and refused to sell his Clarion
county farm until he had examined the
ground, and the result was tn It in SIX
months he returned 10 his wife and
daughter with $4,000 and an income
from leases that amounted to several
hundreds per day.
Peggy Gaines had but one idea of the
value of money. and this was to use it
for the benefit of her Mary. fine
house was purchased in the northern
part of the city, and Mary's social sur
roundings began to be very pleasant.
Old Gaines looked carefully after his
business. and his wealth was increasing
rapidly. In the days of her poverty
and dependence Mary had given her
heart TO Bernard Rudolph, a young
German, who was chemist in large
dyeing establishment in the city. Mrs
Gaines more than once limited to her
daughter that, with her wealth and
beauty, she could look higher, but
Mary. with a quiet decision that her
mother understood, declared that she
loved Bernard, and all the wealth in
Christendom should not separate them
So date for the wedding was fixed,
but a terrible occurrence damaged all
the lovers plans. Mrs. Gaines wanted
to see her old home in the woods and
accompanied her husband on one of his
visits to the oil country A collision
of two trains happened on the way, and
Peter Gaines and his wife were taken
out of the wreck-dead
1t was a terrible shock to the daugh-
ter, and for month she did little else
than grieve over the loss of her parents.
One of her fathers friends saw her and
advised steps being taken to settle the
estate. Mary consented lis lessly, but
was aroused from her Indifference a
week later, when her friend came to
the house with letter in his hand.
Miss Mary, l have a surprise for
you Your fathers brother Michael
has applied to the court of Clarion coun-
ty to administer your fathers estate ON
the ground that he is the next heir, and
! might as well tell you now that be
made an affidavit that You are not the
child of Peter and Margaret Gaines
/ have note from the Rev Father
hoffman, of Pittsburgh, whom you
know He states that he will call on
you Thursday. In the mean time, /
have engaged Mr.. William Wallace, one
of the best lawyers in middle Pennsyl.
vania, to look after your interests.
Mary sat for some moments in a state
of utter bewilderment. Michael Gaines
never liked her, and this must be
piece of spiteful mischief 1t could not
be true. Demands consolation was
manly and practical. If you lose the
estate we will have enough to live on.
So let it go"
Father Kohlman paid his visit and
laid to rest all hope of expectation that
her uncle's story was false-in short.
he confirmed It, He said: ION the 10th
of October, 1850, party of two men
and two women were crossing the
mountains near Peter Gaines cabin. 1t
was nightfall and beginning to snow,
so they stopped in the barn and left
next morning at daybreak Peter went
to the barn TO look after the COW and
heard something crying, and looking
about found a child about four months
old. The mother had, no doubt, left it
when starting a few hours before.
Peggy was wild with Joy. and after
some demur Peter consented to let her
adopt the little girl / was called in
and baptized you, my dear / urged
the old people TO tell you the truth
years ago, but they feared that you
might come to love them less, but am
confident that your adopted father
never left this world without providing
for you for he assured me as much not
more than a year age"
Mary was very white, and clasping
her hands, said: IF had only known
the truth / would have been prepared
for this but feel as if had no place
in the world
The good priest urged her not to de-
spair of the issue Her reward might
be delayed, but it would surely come.
Mr. Wallace's advice was brief and to
the point The plaintiff can, | am
assured. prove that Mary Gaines was
only an adopted child. and, therefore,
not entitled TO inherit. But | have
every reason to believe that there is a
viii. SO make all due inquiry in that
direction"
Among many old friends was Billy
Burton. a clerk in the Reading railroad
main office. lie was thirty if a day,
but acted as if only %, balancing the
office stools on his nose and playing
popular melodies on the shovel and .,
tOngs, nearly driving his official supe-
riors wild. But he was withal bright
and shrewd. lie was present when
Wallace's letter was read and suddenly
paralyzed the company by shouting:
Good God, what a fool / am Where's
my hat?" and then he rushed out Of the
room at racing speed.
Billy walked rapidly along talking
10 himself What hammer-headed
.hump | am to have forgotten that. It's
about two years ago when old Gaines
was Waterman. / was full as goat
and he let me into the Office at night to
sleep it off. English Brown was there,
TOO. 1t all comes back to me. They
asked me to witness a paper, and old
IA l. L..