The herald., 1898-11-27

declared Tabitha fiercely. Nov,
want to AK you two some straigh
questions. About a month fore 10.
was tuck down, wasn't he a-settn' il
this very room, an didn't he say h
was worth thirty thousand dollars?"
II think / recall that" replied Ike
eagerly.
"Well, don't you remember he sale
he had jest made out his will an hat
left his sister, Miz Sprigs ten thou
| sand dollar farm on the river, an on,
wuth five thousand to his brother Hal
an that the other half of his effect'
would go to his wife,"
'I don't remember nothin' o thu
sort" broke in Mrs. Wittekind.
Il am not pine blank shore abou
that" said Ike thoughtfully but j
seems to me that he said he either hat
made will or intended to make one.'
Tabitha stared at her brother-in'
law steadily for a moment i'll silence
then she said:
you heerd Lawyer Bates say he
hadn't been able to find no viii
amongst lke's papers; now l am deac
shore that he made one an that Lizzie
DESTROYED it-set it atire an burnt It,
Mrs. Wittekind stood up suddenly
and faced Tabitha.
"Look v heer." she said sharply. "et
I was you. I'd not be the fountain-head
for a vile suspicion like that to spring
from: besides, Lizzie Menefee mought
| take a notion to make you prove what
YOU say. an believin' thing an prov
| in it is different"
For a moment Tabitha looked at her
sister irresolutely.
You may be right" she admitted
finally. Il don't know as l could take
oath on it. but l have seed enough
with my own eyes to satisfy myself
that Lizzie is not a-goin' to carry out
Joe's last wishes, an-an'-
Tabitha broke down. She hid her
face in her apron and began to cry si-
lently.
what have you seed?" asked Ike,
casting a strange look at his wife-a
look which begged her to not interrupt
his interrogatories.
nuskily:
1T was the night Joe died. II hap
pened to be passin' his house. an
could see into his room through the
window. 1 saw Lizzie a-proppin' up
his mead, an SOllltlON ltiS sApi =
from-from the way she acted an the
way he moved his head about (slow
like). that his last minute had ar
rived. I could see Sally Long in the
kitchen movin' about, putin the sup
per things away an wondered why
Lizzie didn't call to 'er. l seed Lizzie
attending over i'm, an knowed the
minute he died. Oh, it was awful. l
never did love anybody like l did him,
an 1 never will stop it. nuther. 1 stood
thar amongst the jimson weeds unable
to move hand or foot. 1 expected her
to notify Sally. but she didn't. She
turned from him to his desk in the
corner nigh the window, an begun to
rummage through his papers. l seed
'er git out the big leather book he al
ways kept his papers in. an seed her
look through it, All at once I noticed
her take out long legal-lookin' sheet
an burn it over a lamp. The flame of
the paper lit the room as bright as
day. an I seed Joe'S face on the bed
an knowed for certain that he was
dead. Then the paper went out, an !
seed Lizzie pick up all the scraps of
burnt paper an tie 'em up in a bum
die. Then she come OUT at the front
door an tip-toed round the house to
the kitchen l had to squat down be-
hind the fence to keep from bein seen.
She went into whar Sally was at work,
leavn' the door open.
"'How is Joe?' she asked, a-plenty
loud enough for me to heer.
"'Why. I haint been in thar said
Sally. I thought you was with i'm
".I been out in the back yard, Liz
zie said. I wisht you would run in
thar an see eff he wants any soup,
while fix it on the fire.
sally started out, an Lizzie stood
in the middle of the room a-listenin.
Then I heerd Sally scream an she
come a-runnin' a back in the kitchen.
"'What in the name O. common
sense is the matter?' Lizzie axed 'er.
".Mr. Menefee is dead said Sally.
and then the two went in Joe's room
an Sally come out to notify the neigh
bors.''
But you was in yore room when
Sally come to tell us said Mrs. Wit
tekind with slow incredulity
'I come in the back way" replied
Tabitha. "At first 1 didn't intend to
tell what I saw"
What was you doin' out at that
time O. night?" asked Mrs. Wittekind
You told men Ike you was a-goin' to
bed, an ended by slippin' out the back
door an pryin' into the window O
Menefees You'd better reflect before
startin' sech report as this; suspi-
cion might git a-hold O. yore charac-
ter, too
Il couldn't sleep that night" ex-
planned Tabitha. with hanging head
and husky voice. Somehow 7 be-
lieved Joe was dangerous, an knowed
Doctor Stone had gone up the river to
see the Wilson's. Lizzie always pre-
tended she was doin' all that could be
done, but I knowed it wasn't so.'
You've been hangin' round other
times. too, I reckon" suggested Mrs.
Wittekind.
Tabitha nodded.
"I couldn't hep it, she said with a
gulp. Il was a standin' thar one night
not long ago an heerd i'm calm
to somebody so pitiful that it was all
could do not to go to him myself, an
when Lizzie finally put down 'er work
in the dinin' room, / heerd 'er speak
impatient to i'm, an'-an' he only
wanted a drink O water"
Tabithas voice broke, an she made
no effort to continue. Ike took a deep
breath.
"Some'n' ort to be DONE" he said.
"Ef Menefee did want his brother an
sister to have half of is effects, an
Lizzie is tryin' to tllwart his plans,
why"
Don't put sech notions into Tabs
head" interrupted his wife, and she