Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-08-24

wreaths around his head, II may con.
slider this mornings call quite com
mendable stroke Of business. | find
that every hypothesis upon which |
started out has been strengthened,
every suspicion confirmed The links
are not yet connected, but ! see before
mo chain OF evidence which am pos
tive will in time be complete. have
n much more confident feeling now In
regard 10 my position with Mrs May
nard, and my future Investigations, 80
far as sho Is concerned, will be com
paratively easy 10 pursue, II proceed
with due caution. ! think when next
sec her will question her In regard 10
that letter Of Mrs. Dunldrls's, Of which,
by the way, neither Of us spoke to-day.
I can scarcely determine what use Noll
hoped TO mako Of such document;
though probably he had no definite
knowledge OF its contents and took IL
entirely ut Mrs. Maynard's valuation.
II she lmagincs that IL would constitute
for her legal claim u that fortune,
she IA greatly in error. However, ]
will be indulgcnt to the fancy, II II cx-
lists, and thus derive whatever benefit
TO my side Of the case n thorough can
yassing Of the document may furnish.
liy skillfully arranging my questions
concerning IL, ! mny he able 10 gain
some insight into her personal rcla-
tions to Mrs. Dunkirk: not that
this Is material exactly, hut II is rcle-
want. wish, II possible, 10 learn
her whole personal history 80 far rs IL
has any near or remote connection with
this case. To be sure, know the story
set forth by Hunter and Kctchum, In
which she Is made 10 figure rs u sort OF
Juvenile adventures with u chronic
weakness for covcting her neighbours
wealth, and consequently n soul not
above the temptations that bcsct the
lovers Of filthy lucrc. She is an orphan,
- II. and X. maintain, the only child
Il widow with whom Mrs. Dunldrk
was once intimately acquainted, who,
when her own mother died, leaving her
q slender bank account, managed TO
gnin admission TO Mrs. DunlSirk's house
hold In the hope, am further assured,
that by skillfully playing her cards she
might become the childlcss old ladys
heir We'll, after living with Mrs. Dun
kirk for five years, and presumably in
sinuating herself into the good grnccs
Of the old lady, she married this May
nnrd-Mnj. Maynard-anil they went
abroad for few months This much
have learned from Hunter and Kctchum;
however, nm not satisfied 90 accept
the story on the mere strength OF their
LII la 40. Ian -
the case stated by Mrs. Maynard her
self.
Now" North's soliloquy ran on, al.
and X. stoutly maintain that there
never wns any legal adoption Of Mrs.
Maynard what was her maiden
name? Oh, Nina Kingsbwy by Mrs
Dunl,irl,; that her position In the
household during those FIVE years was
merely that of-wcll, u ward, though
there was no legal guardianship,
either. They admit that during that
period Of five wears Mrs, Dunkirk made
will In which she bcqucnthed her
fortune without reservation, except for
n legacy OF a few thousand dollars 10
one old family servant, to her young
friend, Nina Kingsbury. shortly after
the marriage OF that young lady, how
ever, some rumor revived Mrs. Dun
lSirlS's old belief that her brothers
daughter was still living, and could he
found; and acting upon that belief, the
old lady destroyed her will And now
the mooted question Is: Did she ever
make another? Hunter and Ketchum
say, NO and they have kept 10 this
denial through everything, but Hop
ldns and Shepherd, acting upon the in
structions Of Mrs. Maynard and my
brothers Ollin, bring forward docu
ment apparently genuine and wei
certified, and affirm: She did make I
second will, and here II Isl OF tn,
manner In which this forgery wa
handled by my colleagues, | can onll
Say that IL was merciless, but mastery
"Now, Mrs. Maynard was aware, 1
seems, OF the existence Of that first will
and she also knew about its being de
stroyed though how she came TO be n
possession OF such direct means OF com
munication with Mrs. DunkirlS's end o
the line, and how she contrivcd TO gaiI
information which that lady would no
be at all likely 10 furnish her, canno
for my life conjecture. Here Is tn
place where n missing link must b
supplied. There Is evidently thir
party somewherel However, actin
upon her own knowledge OF the cilVum
stances whenever, wherever and how
ever gained, she proceeded, with tn
mid of my brother and that third pei
son, whose identity must yet discover
% copcoct the conspiracy out of whic
NEW this forged will.
AT this point arises the question
How came this forged will 10 be di
covered In Mrs. Dunldrl's desk after III
first fruitless search for will had bee
abandoned? This is one Of IL
mysteries that must try TO solve. Tn,
Noll did not place II there ! woul
stake my life. That Mrs. Maynard di
not,do so, seems equally evident, VIII
then, did? That undiscovered thin
person Nothing could be more o.
vious. Now, where is the clew thu
shall lead TO the discovery of that THU
conspirator2 Mrs. Maynard must fu
nish Il; and this Is one result towal
which must bend my energies when
see her next. Taking II all
all, this case grows sufficiently inte
estingl ! anticipate even some degr
of pleasure, from purely profession
standpoint, in tracing II all up taldr
more personal view Of the matter
At this point his thoughts, instead
pursuing tho straight line Of definit
ness, began 10 circle drenmily nrour
the many possibilities of the case,
vivid recollection OF that last lit
scene with Mrs Maynard came ov