The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-09-01
neighbor and rival which had mentally

Sald GlcrrepOnt, anu MIS-. DutteTS udllcu
obcdiently, paying a good deal more at
tention to the pattern of her own carpet
than to the proceedings around her.
"lIefc is the WILL" Pierrcpont went on,
holding up the paper, with the place for
the signatures of the tcstator and wit
nesses as vet blank Then he replaced it
revercntly before his uncle who bent over
the document, and, supported by the
ever careful doctor, slowly affixed his
name: "William Joseph Maitland" at
the foot AS soon as his pen had made
the last feeble scratch, Mr.. Pierrepont
brought the will over to me before the
ink was dry, and added my name, using
the dressing table as a writing desk.
The vucuous landlady followed, and in
her tremulous scrawl General Maitland's
last will and testament received it's fin
ishing touch.
Immediately prepared to leave the
room and Pierrepont made no attempt to
detain me.
said Goodnight" to the general,
adding some commonplace remark about
hopes for his recovery compliment
which he again acknowledged with one
of his grave bows. That is my last
recollection of the scene-the venerable
| old man sitting up among pillows with
| the watchful doctor at his side.
Pierrepont followed me on to the
landing to conduct me to the street door.
He thanked me profusely for coming;
indeed, he said a good deal more than
the occasion demanded. l stopped him,
and to turn the conversation said:
$50 you have changed your doctor,
Mr.. Pierrepont ~
He stopped in the passage and blinkcd
at me enquiringly.
"Ah!n he said, ''you have perhaps no.
ticed DR.. Lorrimer here. That is An
drews, his assistant. The doctor could
not come tonight, and, between our
selves, Andrews is the best man, !
think"
We parted at the door of No. 13, and
went back to my pipe and newspaper,
having been absent barely twenty
minutes, viz, from $50 to $50. That
night us | retired to rest l found myself
specializing as to the amount of Mr.. Gas
ton Pierreponts interest in the will had
witnessed
But in the morning received shock.
| bustling in with the breakfast tray-im-
parted was that General Maitland was
dead
For moment experienced sensa-
ton Of surprise. Probably the Generals
ruddy cheeks had forbidden the idea of
such a speedy removal, but soon saw
that, after all, there was not much to
wonder at =
The day was again fine, and l deter
mined to return to the ruined tower to
finish the sketch had begun. Ireached
| the place on foot and set to work, but
after some little time | had occasion to
shift my position in order to obtain diff
ferent view of my subject In doing so
| met with an accident. An old stone
wall on which had mounted crumbled
, beneath me, and | fell violently to the
ground. When | rose | knew that my
left arm was broken.
In great pain | made my way back to
my lodgings and accepted my landlady's
offer to send at once for the doctor. In
answer to her inquiry as to which of the
medical men of the town should prefer,
| named the only one | had any knowl-
edge of-Dr. Lorrimer-who had been
such frequent visitor next door.
The doctor came quickly and did wha
was needed twas simple fracture andt
easily set DR.. Lorrimer was Il cheerful,
chatty man, and stayed for little gene
raj conversation after his professional
skill had exhausted itself.
"'By the way, DOCTOR" | said, ''you
have lost patient next door"
eyes, poor old fellow" he replied,
''not before | expected, though. There
was no hope for him from the first"
"Your assistant, Mr.. Andrews, seemed
to be taking every care of hin last
night" said.
''My assistant Mr.. Andrews? Last
nignt?" the doctor exclaimed in amaze
ment. 81 have no assistant, and what of
last night, sir?'
explained how had been asked in
by Mr.. Pierrepont to witness the gene
RAILS will at $50 in the evening.
DR.. Lorrmer drew long breath.
"Well," he said at last, ''if you saw
him sign his will at half-past eight he
signed it with Il dead hand General
Maitland died at half-past four yesterday
afternoon.
My broken arm was the means of ex-
posing the whole dastardly plot by
which CASTOR Pierrepont, aided by his
wife, had schemed to possess himself of
his uncle's property to the exclusion of
his son and lawful heir-an officer serving
in an Indian regiment. The General had,
as the doctor said, died shortly after
four, he himself being present. Having
finished with the case it was not likely
that the doctor would be questioned as
to the exact hour of death, and there
would be nothing suspicious in man
signing his will on the day of his death,
should the Generals son compare the
date of the will with that of the certificate
which DR.. Lorrimer had given before he
left the house.
The ''Mr. Andrews" who supported the
dead man and guided his hand was Gas
ton Pierrepont's wife, IA woman who had
already suffered Imprisonment, and who
was the instipator of her husbands