Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-06-29

| ions with great tenacity. She knew, of
course. that looked upon wealth as
one of the good things of this life,
which should be glad to possess Is
not that a natural and proper wish?s'
| ''Oh, entirely sol I myself sympa-
thize with it very profoundly, as You
are doubtless aware. But did you ever
give Mrs. Dunkirk any reason to sup
pose that you wished, hoped or ex-
pected to be made her heir?"
| "Vould not such wish, hope or ex.
pectation be perfectly natural in view
of the fact that she had actually made
her will in my favor?-ah!'' she added
quickly as North's eyebrows were again
raised. Il forgot the prerogatives, just
for the moment. Well, then, yes, Mr.
North; she knew that had some such
expectation. She herself intimated to
me several times that she might make
me her heir"
''How far back does you= personal
acquaintance with Mrs. Dunl1irlz ex-
tend, Mrs. Maynard?" inquired North
abruptly.
| The answer came slowly after an in
| slant silence.
Ito the day of poor, dear mammals
funeral, when Mrs. Dunkirk came, in
answer to mammals last request, to
take me to her home"
| Previous to that Day you had neyc<
met Mrs. Dunl.irk?'
| Never"
''But she was an intimate friend Of
| your mother's?''
$50 far as I have ever been able TO
learn, their acquaintance, though Of
many years standing, had never been
| intimate at all"
| There was perp1exed expression on
North's face as he pondered this an
swer in silence for few moments with
his eyes bent upon his notebook. Then
he said slowly, raising his glance to
Mrs. Maynard's face:
''And yet, during her last illness,
your mother wrote to Mrs DunkEk-a
comparative stranger, as we must infer
that she ,was-requesting her to take
you into her home and extend to you,
so long as you should need it, guar
dams care and projections; request
which was made so urgently that Mrs.
Dunkirk was loathe to disregard it.
Has this never seemed strange to you,
Mrs. Maynard"
| 1t was evident that the strangeness
Of the fact had now occurred to North
for the first time; it was equally evil
dent that Mrs. Maynard had long since
ceased to speculate upon the matter, as
something which she was unable to ex-
plain.
| 'There has always been a little mys-
terry shrouding that circumstance, Mr..
North" she said, with a faint smile.
Dear mamma herself recognized the
| fact that, in her choice of a guardian
| for her daughter, she had made de-
mand upon Mrs. Dunkirk's kindness
which her slight acquaintance with that
lady would scarcely. justify; but in her
| letter to Mrs. Dunkirk, written just be-
fore her death, she said that would
explain that action satisfactorily. When
Mrs. Dunkirk referred the matter to me,
l was utterly unable to account for the
fact that / had been consigned to the
| care of perfect stranger, whose name,
| even, had scarcely heard before"
There is only one possible inference
| to be drawn from these circumstances,
I then" observed North, with thought
| full air, as he looked inquiringly at Mrs.
| Maynard. Mrs. Kingsbury was pre-
| vented in some way from communicate
| ing to you the explanation that she in
tended to give before her death"
THAT is the conclusion at which both
Mrs. Dunkirk and arrived" answered
Mrs. Maynard, land, accepting ii, Mrs.
Dunkirk carried out mammals wishes
with an evident feeling that they i'm
posed upon her a sacred obligation. !
have always thought that the very mys-
terry attending our first meeting gave
her special interest in me, to which
was due the great kindness with which
she discharged her duty as my guar
diam
No doubt OF it." returned North
with 4 smile. "a touch of mystery is
always great sharpener of ones intee-
est. But now, right here let me bring
up another point. You say that Mrs
Dunllirl 'intimated' to you her inten-
ton of making you her heir: did she,
then, not show You that will?'
''Oh. no! She was not even aware that
knew of it's existence. She did not
speak about it to me with any definite
ness; she merely limited at what she
might do, very much as she does in this
letter. Your memory is strangely at
fault, Mr.. North, if you have forgotten
this point. 1t was Jenner who told me
about the will
"Ah! Then you never saw the WHIP
''Never."
"You know nothing about it of your
own knowledge nothing except what
Jenner told you?"
That is all: but really, Mr.. North, it
is sufficient. / have no reason to be-
lieye that Jcnner misrepresentcd the
affair to me-"
"Oh, probably not; but I'm after
facts, nov-not theories, if you please.'
And, smoothing down the edges Of
this rejoinder with his most irresistible
smile, North went on with his investi-
CATION, following up eagerly new
clew which had thus unexpectedly fallen
into his hands.
Now, that first will, of which, as
you say, Jenner told you, was substan-
TALLY the same as this later one which
has just been exploded in New York
he tossed Mrs. Dunkirk's letter down
on the table with an impetuous air as
If his interest in it had suddenly ceased
for the tme-''the latter was faithful
copy of the former"
He put this In the form of positive
assertion, but ir was in reality ques-
ton, the answer to which he awaited
with the greatest interest.
iro M .>o~rrx,-rp