Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-04-11
HIS UNCLE'S BOX.


anniversary Of my death ho III 90 open the
box and act as circumstances shall direct.
AS he shall carry out these my instruc-
tions, may God prosper him."
We all agreed that this was very singii-
lar clause of our late unclcs will. He had
not been the kind Of man to cherish
secret and mystery was quito the last
thingyou would suspect him Of
When our mother died, we had not re-
lation IN the world save him. He took
Horace and me home with him after the
funeral, and henceforth our home was mt
Wildcliff Hall.
It was quaint, old fashioned country
house, with beautiful gounds, shrubberies
and woods that made snmmer n delight.
1t was II happy life we led. Horace
would come over ut che weeks end from
Slcighford and stay uLti' Monday.
Our uncle's dean came .ipon us as q
gTvau shock We were not In any way pre-
pared for It, His health was always robust,
and ne was what Is described as well pre-
served man.
While dressing one morning he was
seized with an apoplectic fit, and ere help
could be summoned he expired. We laid
him to rest beneath an immemorial yew
In a quiet corner of Wildcliff churchyard.
When tho will was read, 1t was found
that ample provision was made both for
Horace and myself Then occurred the
puzzling clause which gave us much food
for thought.
The months chased each other swiftly,
and 1t was the day when / must carry out
the dead mans instructions.
inserted the key into each lock and
flung the lid back. Inside the outer lid
h.e ,,Ia han at,a
a matter of fact, an inner box OF cork.
Summoning resolution, with swift
movement threw back the cork lid and
looked in. With IA cry fell back n step,
for there lay, in all its shriveled hideous-
ness, severed human hand.
AS looked intently into the box, to my
horror the hand moved, assuming the at
titude Of writing, the fingers forcshortcn-
ing and the knuckles rising. Slowly, with
the utmost deliberation, IL wrote.
The writing was large, round and in
tensely black, showing vividly against its
light background of cork.
Every letter branded itself on my brain
as read these words:
"Oliver, my dear nephew, / loved
woman once. love her still. She could
not marry me- She married another
While in life believed that she was dead
She lives widowed and poverty stricken
with her only child Her name is Ethel
Elston, and they live at Dalton, 90 miles
south Of Wildcliff Go to them, relieve
their necessities and do as you know /
would wish you to do Farewell"
The next morning found me In the town
Of Dalton, bent on carrying outP'Iny in
structions. I made many fruitless in
quiries for Mrs. Elston, but no one seemed
to know anything about such q person.
began to doubt the accuracy of my su-
pernatural directions, when by happy ac-
cident 1 chanced upon the house was
looking for.
There was no answer to my knock An
air of abject poverty hung about the place.
The panels of tho door were rotten and
worm eaten, giving gljmpses of the in
terror.
pushed the door open and entered. For
a moment or two I could discern nothing.
Gradually objects resolved themselves out
Of their surrounding gloom, and i saw a
woman lying on u wretched couch, and be-
side her, holding her hand, "a girl Of about
10 or 20.
/ made slight noise to attract atten-
ton, and the girl turned her head toward
me.
She looked inquiringly at me out of her
large, dark eyes, and advanced cautious
ly, SO MS not to disturb the woman, whom
/ now perceived to be asleep.
Whispering that 1 was friend who had
been sent to help them, went out and
brought back with me doctor.
Before evening Agnes-that was the
girls name-and had transformed the
miserable little apartment into some ap-
pearance Of comfort.
i engaged nurse and made every ar
rangement for Mrs. Elstons comfort and
for that of her daughter.
Before left the latter and had long
talk. Agnes told mo the story of their
lives with simplicity and modesty which
won my heart.
Her father had been dead many years.
Indeed her parents married life was brief.
Mrs. Elston was left with a small income
sufficient for their requirements. Agnes
was well educated and their lives were
tranquil and uneventful.
Then disaster came. Two years ago
they lost their money through defaulting
trustee The struggle for existence was
stern and bitter, and not seldom the baro
necessities of life were wanting.
Mrs. Elston did not recover conscious
ness and passed away day or two later,
carrying with her all that 1 might hope to
know of the early days wherein James
Jameson had loved and lost her.
Eighteen months have elapsed. Agnes
Elston is my wife. Mutual sympathy has
grown to mutual love, and the future
looks fair beyond all promise.
On the second anniversary of my uncle's
peath stood once more before the black
box, thinking of all that happened in the
past year.
To the best Of my ability had carried
out the instructions SO marvclously con
veycd. Sustained with this knowledge,
threw back the cork lid with complete
absence of fear.
The box was empty.-London Spare
Moments
Pasta's Wonderful voicc.
Pasta's voice extended from low A To ID
In altiesimp md w npo nf ha ,,,not rx,