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

white-haired gentleman who well
coined him, Miss Lane is somehow
aware that you and Deacon Morris
are executors of her mothers will
-"
II had an idea, from herself, that 1
was to be one of them"
"And she wishes you to be ready to
act at once. She is not upon good
terms with old Jake and Steve"
"Ugh!" exclaimed the old lawyer.
"Tell her I'll be ready"
Perhaps it was as we'll that Made
leine watched at her window, looking
toward the village, and that JEFF was
not again compelled to ring the door
bell, for at the moment when she ad
mitted him old Jacob Lapham was in
the library.
"You take care of the bank book. {"
she said, when he had swiftly de-
tailed his business doings. "Dont
stay"
His face had darkened cloudily over
what she had herself told him, but it
cleared somewhat rs he turned away.
Even Madeleine did not hear him say
to himself, aloId, as he was going
down the steps: ''Oh, but don't
wish L could see old Jake and Steve at
work on that safe!'
Madeleine reached her room again
unobserved, all the more safely be-
cause her stepfather was crouching
before that obstinate tireproof safe,
twisting the knob to numbers that he
knew, but which the lock refused to
know anything about. He muttered,
too, tiercely, even explosively, and at
last he arose, eXclaiming:
"Well! III can't open it, nobody
else can. Sometimes those things will
work so. I've known it happen be-
fore. At any rate, I've got all those
things fixed so that the property can't
get away from ME. I'm sole executor,
and the will just nails and clinches the
deeds"
Madeleine fingered in her room
only for q long, deep, silent fit of
thinking. At the end OF it she arose
from her chair with q hard-drawn
breath, and once more went over to
the sick-room.
The form upon the bed lay very
still, but the loving blue eyes opened
as Madeleine again grasped the thin
hand in hers.
'I gave your message to jeff,
mother. He sent his love to you
again"
"I wish I could see him. My son!"
she whispered. "Say good-by to him
for me, dear. Kiss me, Madeleine.
There-there,.-good-by."
There was heavy hand upon Mad
eleine's shoulder, as she rose, but she
did not turn her fixed gaze from her
mothers face.
"What does she mean?" he harsh
ly, hoarsely demanded. "Her son?"
There was no answer in words, but
even Jacob Lapham turned pale, and
the advancing nurse drew back again,
while Madeleine sank upon her knees
for they were all suddenly aware
that the last messenger had come.
For Madeleine Lane all earthly
things were veiled and put away. That
hour of sobs and silence was no time
to consider questions of property.
There were others in the house,
however, whose business activities
were hindered, very apparently, less by
the presence of death than by the
strange perverseness of the lock of the
safe in the library The knob of it was
twisted and twisted in the most weari-
some way.
"Steve," remarked an anxious
voice, at last, eve must have that
money out! The deeds and mortgages
must be recorded! Only one will
must be found there! This is awful!'
"We've some days yet, father, and
we can blow it open"
"We must do it ourselves, then. Tt
won't DO to have anybody else open
that safe. We must let Madeleine
alone, too. until after the funeral"
81 don't care" growled Steve, $50
long as jeff Meredith is kept ont of
the house. Her Aunt Wickham is up
there with her now"
Aunt W1ckham remained with Mad
eleine all through the long, dark night
OF the first mourning. Then followed
the strange days of interval between a
death and burial. Old Jacob Lap
ham had great deal of walking up
and down in the parlor to do, for he
was bereaved man, with more than
one grief to carry. The lock of the
safe had much twisting to endure, but
it still refused to remember its num-
bers.
Judge Wickham came in, and Mr..
Lapham began to say something to
him about the safe and its contents,
and its conduct.
"Pooh, pooh, Jacob!' responded the
old lawyer; ''you are in no condition
for business. It's no time for it, eth
er. Wait till after the funeral. I'll at
tend to everything for you just now.
Madeleine, too-she's all broken
down"
Another night passed and another
day came, and at the hour appointed
there were carriages at the door. There
was no occasion for remark, however,
when the mourners came out of the
house, III the fact that Madeleine
leaned on the arm of Judge Wickham,
and entered carriage with him and
his wife, her mothers sister, and with
her mothers friend, Mrs. Meredith.
If her stepfather and stepbrother did
not like it, that was not the time for
them to say so, or to employ author
ity.
The house was regained and was re-
entered by the family party, and no.
body else seemed to notice that Judge
Wickham went in last, and that, as he
did SO, he took the key out of the door
and put it in his pocket.
"Wickham," said Mr. Lapham, as
the old lawyer joined the rest in the
parlor, "come in here moment. !
can't open the safe. Nobody else
I, 1,,,k