Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-01-22

~ I'M seemed ABOUT lC
ring again, when
@REv8 the door opened
and he stepped
quickly in, while u graceful form re
ceded timidly before him. A pair o,
moist, dark eyes and troubled face
were averted from his, and there was
husky tremor in the voicewhich said
to him:
"You mustn't come in, jeff"
Madeleine" he bluntly exclaimed,
"what does this mean?''
"Mr. Lapham! Steve Lapham!"
cold Jacob Lapham's only your
stepfather. He has no authority over
you. His son is fraud! Your
mother -"
cob. jeff, dear! that is the trouble!
They have made her forbid me to
speak to you! J. cannot disobey her!
She is dying! They have almost made
her make me promise. Oh, JEFF, dear,
I'm almost crazy
81 should say you were," he
growled, with fierce light dancing
across his face. ''It was time for me
to come. Is your mother really 50
low"
''She may last many days yet; per-
haps not twenty-four hours. Stephen
Lapham isn't there, but his father
doesn't leave her for minute. I've
no chance to see her alone. She COM
manded me not to speak to you
"No, she didn't" said jeff. "She
only repeated something after old Jake
Laphnm. What she was forced to say
was no command of hers. Do he
reasonable. She has no right to do
it, anyhow; and she really didn't do
it. Old Jake did. AS for Steve, the
young"
Don't L know what he is?' said
Madeleine, Historically. Didn't /
hear what his father said to him? They
didn't know l. heard"
''What did they say?' demanded
Jeff, as she hesitated, and he closed
the door behind him and led her into
the parlor rs he added: "What did
yor hear? Tell me the whole of il. -
"Oh, JEFF, dear" said Madeleine,
"Mr. Lapham said to Steve that as
soon as mother died they would re-
cord all the deeds, before proving the
will, and then they would own every
dollar OF the property. He said they
could make me do what they pleased
then"
"What deeds?' he asked, in u firm
but unexcited way, that seemed to
help her.
Deeds that mother made" she
said. "Deeds and things that give
them everything there is to give"
''Did you ever sign any papers your
self?" asked Jetl. "She couldn't do
it alone"
II don't know what they We're" re-
piled Madeleine. 81 signed every
paper they had on the table, the night
they said she would die before morn
ing"
when was that?" he asked.
"More than month ago." she said:
'and they put them all into the safe
in the library"
81 know where it is" said JEFF.
cts your own safe now. 1t opens
with combination lock. You know
the numbers, of course, and how to
open it?'
"No, I don't" she replied despair
ingly. II never knew how to open it,
/ don know the numbers, and I can't
tell You. They've kept them secret.
Mother said once that it was the Dec
laration Of Independence and the days
of the week.
oh exclaimed JEFF, with almost
laugh; that's ariddle. Is anybody
in the library now
NO. said Madeleine. "Nobody
goes there
Jetts face was angry and stormy, in
spite of his calm, reassuring manner
as he strobe to the library-door and
opened it. The room had chilly,
deserted look, and its crate was empty.
A tireproof safe, of medium size,
stood i'll one corner, and in an in
stant the young man was kneeling be-
fore il.
This is your safe, Madeleine
Lane" he said. May [ open it?'
'You may, but you can't" she re-
piled; but his hand was on the knob
of the safe-lock, aud her cheeks
burned with feyerish excitement as
she watched the quick, though care
full, turns of his wrist.
Twice this way" she counted
"Three times that way. Once around
again-or was it twice."
Just then she heard faint click.
and she saw the door of the safe swing
wide open. 1t was as if feat of
necromancy had been performed be-
fore her eyes. Those of JEFF were
searching the interior of the safe.
Here they are." he exclaimed, as
he pulled out of pigeon-hole n
package of long folded, legal-looking
documents, and rose to his feet.
"P!ease examine them with me, Made.
leine."
This first lot" he said. turning
them over. ARE all deeds, of one sort
or another, to your own father, two or
three TO your mother, by which they
owned their entire property. All of
them are recorded. We have nothing
to do with them. I'll put them back.
There Nov, Madeleine, just look at
these! All of them new deeds. You
AMI your mother to Jacob Lapham.
You and she did actually sign them
all"
Il didn't know what was signing, :"
gaspel Madeleine. But there were
witnesses and a notary"
Each deed acknowledges n large
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