The herald., 1897-10-10

told her daughter everything that waa
in my soul.
Mrs. Kefford did not wonder. She
cried quietly as If she had heard the
news of the death Of somebody, but
do not think she grieved; she was q
very sensitive woman.
1t was not long after this that Mr..
kefYord came home to his two o'clock
dinner.
Upon my word!" he exclaimed, els
this where you are? I have been wait
ing and waiting for you in my office.
l did not want to talk to you in the
court house." And with this he began
to say things which, in my ordinary
state Of mind would have confused and
embarrassed me very much; but my
soul was so filled with the daughter
that nothing the father could say, be
it good or bad, could make very much
impression upon me. I hope 1 was
grateful for his gratitude but am not
sure that really showed that I was.
I am certain, however, that showed
that was very happy.
How Mr.. Kefford became aware of
our engagement 1 do not know. His
wife or Natalie may have taken him
aside and informed him of it. At any
rate he seemed to consider it as a mat
ter Of course. 1t was certainly wise in
him to do this, and I do not think it
would have been of any use for him to
consider it in any other way.
After dinner Mr.. Kefford asked me
to go back with him to the court
house; he was anxious to hear if there
were any further developments in the
Latimer affair. I did not care to go
with him, but of course 1 was obliged
to consent. His talk on the way to
the court house was mostly about his
daughter, and the manner in which he
spoke of her made me love him very
much.
When we reached the court house we
found that there had been develop
ments of great Importance. Farris
had been well enough to make a legal
deposition, in which, in addition to
what he had said before, he declared
and swore to it before a notary, that he
had never witnessed the signature Of
Mr.. Nicholas Kefford to a WILL that he
had never heard of such will during his
residence with the old man, and that
his signature to any such document
must be a forgery.
When this development was read to
Doctor Latimer in the Jail, he gave
way entirely. He saw that it was of no
use for him to try to defend himself.
1t would be far wiser for him to submit
at once, hoping thereby to tighten his
oJtjoS 80 rtr l;v,r
he said; his Institution was deeply in
debt, and he had failed in every effort.
good or bad, which he had made to
save 1t.
He had been very intimate with old
Kefford during the last part of the lat
ter's life. The will which had been
found in the desk was an exact copy
(excepting certain names) of a will
which Latimer had found in that desk.
He had written the copy in a back
hand which he was sure would never
be taken for his own, and as I had
supposed, was afraid to make any
changes in it for fear of fatal errors.
He had traced the signature of Mich
olas Kefford, and for witnesses had
chosen two persons, one of whom was
dead, and the other far away, nobody
knew where. He had copied the sig
natures of both of these from receipts
for wages, found in Mr.. Kefford's desk.
Although the false will was dated a
year back, it had been made during
the old mans short sickness and had
not been finished very long when he
died.
Naturally Doctor Latimer had been
very anxious to see Reuben Farris be-
fore anyone else in Camborough should
| meet him. He had been perfectly will
ling for him to come on because what
he had to say to the man could not be
written. and he could not leave the In
stitution.
Soon after supper on the day of the
expected arrival of Farris. Doctor Lat
inner had remarked to the two assist