Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-02-16


little smile lingering on his lip, he
tossed the paper aside, it was merely
with the comment:
81 must try to call on Col. Clipper to-
day. After l have seen and talked with
HIM 1 shall be safely past one more
danger which at present seriously en-
harnesses my peace of mind.
Having settled himself in an easy
chair with q perfumed cigar which
called up momentary amused recol-
lection Of Wee and the Office, he fell to
reviewing his second call on Mrs. May
nard and summing up the results.
ION the WHOLE" he reflected with .
in his chair and watched the blue
smoke circling in delicate puffs and
wreaths around his head, II may con-
slider this mornings call quite COM
mendablc stroke of business. find
that every hypothesis upon which /
started out has been strengthened,
every suspicion confirmed. The links
ore not yet connected, but I see before
Ine chain of evidence which am pos
tive will in time be complete. l have
a much more confident feeling now i'll
regard to my position with Mrs. May
nard, and my future Investigations, so
far as she is concerned, win be com.
parGtively easy to pursue, if ! proceed
with due caution. think when l next
see her | will question her in regard to
that letter of Mrs. Dunliirlls, of which,
by the way, neither of us spoke to-day.
can scarcely determine what use Noll
hoped to make of such n document;
though probably he had no definite
knowledge of its contents and took it
entirely at Mrs. Maynard's valuation.
If she imagincs that it would constitute
for her legal claim to that fortune,
she is greatly in error. However, I
will be indulgrnt to the fancy, if it ex-
lists. and thus derive whatever benefit
to my side of the case n thorough can
wasting of the document may furnish.
By sllillfully arranging my questions
concerning it, | may be able TO gain
some insight into her personal rela-
tions to Mrs. Dunliirll: not that
this is material exactly, but it is rele-
want. wish, if possible, to learn
her whole personal history SO far as it
has any near or remote connection with
this case. To be sure, know tho story
set forth by Hunter and ketchum, in
which she is made to figure as sort of
juvenile adventures with II chronic
weakness for covcting her neighbours
wealth. and consequently n soul not
above the temptations that beset tho
lovers of filthy lucre. Sho is an orphan,
so II. and X. maintain, the only child
| of n widow with whom Mrs. Dunlirk
was once intimately acquainted, who,
when her own mother died, leaving her
slender bank account, managed to
gain admission to Mrs. Dunkirlt's house
hold; in the hope, am further assured,
that by sllillfully playing her cards she
might become the childless old lady's
heir. We'll. after living with Mrs. Dun
kirk for five years, and presumably in
sinuating herself into the good graces
of the old lady, she married this May
nard-Mnj. Maynard-and they went
| abroad for few months. This much l
have learned from Hunter and Ketchum;
however, am not satisfied to accept
the story on tho nero strength of their
assertion. should at least like to hear
the case stated by Mrs. Maynard her
self.
| Now" North's soliloquy ran on, I'll.
and X. stoutly maintain that there
never was any legal adoption of Mrs
| Observation-Disclosures was her maiden
name? Oh, Nina Kingsbury-by Mrs.
Dunllirl1; that her position in the
household during those five years was
merely that of-wcll, ward, though
there was no legal guardianship
either They admit that during thot
period of FIVE years Mrs Dunl1irk made
will In which she bcqueathed he1
fortune without reservation, except fol
legacy of II few thousand dollars tC
ono old family servant, to her young
friend, Nina Kingsbury. Shortly after
the marriage of that young lady, how
ever some rumOr revived Mrs. Dun
kinks old belief that her brothers
daughter was still living, and could b'
found; and netting upon that belief, Tho
old lady destroyed her will. And now
the mootcd question is: Did she eve
make another? Hunter and Ketchun
say, NO and they have kept to thi
denial through everything, but Hop
llins and Shepherd, acting upon the in
I. structions of Mrs. Maynard and IN.
brothers Ollin, bring forward n docu
, mcnt apparently genuine and wei
, certified, and affirm: She did make
second will, and here 1t isH Of tn
! manner in which this forgery wa
: handled by my colleagues, l can onl.
say that it was mercilcss, but mastery
i Now, Mrs. Maynard was aware,
seems, of the existence of that first will
and she also knew about its being dc
Q stroyed; though how she came to be Il
: possession Of such direct means of com
4 munication with Mrs. Dunlirll's end O
| the line, and how she contrived to gail
;, information which that lady would no
be ut alLlilicly to furnish her, l canno
$ for my 1Hfo conjecture. Here is tn
o place where q missing link must b
g supplied. There 10 evidently n thir
!. party somcwhercl However, actin
@ upon her own knowledge of the circum
stances whenever, wherever and how
d ever gained, she proceeded, with tn
" aid of my brother and that third pei
a, son, whose identity | must yet discover
y to concoct the conspiracy out of whic
T. grew this forged will
lg AT this point arises the question
u How camc this forged will to be di'
covered in Mrs. Dunllirl sGcs!l after tn