Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-30
THE HIDDEN WILL.

where the tracks of the Philadelphia
and Germantown railroad cross that
thoroughfare, stands ruined mansion
house that half a century ago was brave
with pillared porticos and quantity
carved doors and window frames. 1t is
today a cheap tenement house, inhabited
by half dozen families, and the work
of improvement has left the entrance
door several feet below the sidewalk In
its halcyon days this old mansion was as
many feet above its surrounding garden
as it is now below the asphalt paved
street. It was the home Of Jabez Fields,
hard, stern old man, proud as prince
and as reserved and unsocial as he was
naughty. His only living relatives were
grandniece, Alice Fields, and grand
nephew, John Wilcox.
John Wilcox was a prosperous Arch
street merchant, with comfortable
bank account and landed and bond
and stock estate that made him one
of the Quaker Citys 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 us poor as
. a church mouse and school teacher by
occupation John Wilcox was as ayari-
cious as he was wealthy, and when word
was sent to him one day that old Jabez
Fields had died suddenly he hastened 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 Jabez 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 later will, and on the
day of the funeral the lawyer would
come to the old mansion to read it.
sHe's probably left 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 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 granduncle 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, ''and won't read the will until
tomorrow. Have a 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. I think punch
will do me good"
The housekeeper assured him that his
{ wants should be attended to, and the in
Auence 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 gasp of
astonishment. The will was gone.
"Har' he cried, rubbing his eyes.
SO. vhat's stranger And, without stop
min. to dress, he examined the fastenings
of the >doors and windows. They were
ali secn re, and, although he searched the
room tht voughly, the missing will could
not be fou- ud.
After br, Nkfast the servants, Mary
smith and th, two cousins, assembled in
the library and the lawyer took posi-
ton in the cente- ' Of the room.
"When reache d here last night" he
began. with his eve y on John Wilcoxs
face. "I had the last win and testament
Of my old friend. Jabez Fields, in my pos
session." and then he tolN OF its mysteri-
ous disappearance. He Kept hls eyes
fixed on John Wilcox's faces and the LAT
ter shifted uneasily and changed color.
s'Do you mean to say that / had any
thing to do with it's disappe pearaHcer ne
blurted out at last.
81 accuse no one," answered the Law
yer quietly, and then he asked for the
will which had been found among the
dead mans papers by his grandnephew.
When Wilcox produced it the lawyer
adjusted his spectacles, and with look
of commiseration directed toward Alice
Fields said: Unfortunately thestwo wit
nesses to the missing will are dead, but
think we can prove its existence and
its contents. If Miss Field wishes -
"No, nor protested Alice quickly.
ssNot for the world" and when Lawyer
Dunnet began to read shesslipped quietly
from the room. There were tears in her
eyes as she groped her way from the
house and turned her steps toward the
city, but she wiped them away and
walked very fast. When she reached