The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-06-19

| before were of sufficient Importance tt
mention. 1t was not often that at that
time in my history visited New York
In fact, up to the time of which ]
speak had been to the city only twice
1t was a circumstance which occurred
on my last visit that l mentioned to
my father. The business that took me
to the city was in relation to some doc
uments affecting wooded lands up the
state in which a client was interested
| met an old college friend, and one
day he and 1 went down to Long
Branch together. After taking in the
sights we were naturally hungry and
went to the best hotel we could select
Seated at table near to US was par
| ty consisting of an elderly gentleman
and lady and several young people of
both sexes, ranging from to IS years.
The gentleman was seated with his
back to me, and it struck me that
was familiar with the contour of the
head tried hard to get sight of the
face, but did not succeed until l was
leaving, when so managed as to pro
cure a pretty good view Of the gentle
mans countenance.
"'Why,' said to my friend, that is
Mr.. Tompkins, an old client Of my IA
ther.'
81 faced round and looked the gen.
tleman square in the eye, but he never
WINGED or gave the slightest indication
of recognition. Then / went away
with my mind in a turmoil. If l had
been called upon to swear to the mans
Identity in court of law, would have
done so without hesitation but for the
fact that, though returning my glance
with one as prolonged and steady as
my own, he had shown no sign of rec
ignition.
"Now, needn't tell you how my ia
Their and myself began to speculate or
what thoughts were exchanged. Suf-
fee to say that none of our surmises
approached the truth.
"And now, to go back to Mr.. Tomp-
kins' sudden seizure and the events
which followed. OF course our inqui-
ries after the sick man were frequent,
and my father called several times, but
Mr.. Tompkins did not for some time
recover consciousness. at length he
began to evince some slight intelli-
gence, and my father or myself was
thereafter with him day and night, so
that if he recovered his senses we
might be ready to do anything for him
he might desire in relation to the ar
rangement of his affairs. He had no
relatives near at hand and, in fact,
none with whom he ever directly COM
municated. He had younger brother
who had disgraced himself and been a
convict and was occasionally helped
through us by Mr.. Tompkins, but al
ways in SO indirect a manner as to pre-
vent his discovering the whereabouts
of his benefactor. So far as we knew,
Mr. Tompkins had made no will, and
yet we knew that he must be worth
over $1,5OO,00O.
"But will come to the occurrence to
which l alluded at the outset. / was
sitting In the sick mans room one
night reading before the fire. He grew
restless, and l arose and saw that he
was moving and struggling as though
trying to rise. 1 spoke to him, and he
tried hard to respond and gripped my
band with extraordinary vigor for so
sick a person. Seeing that he was using
every exertion to sit up in bed, helped
him as well as ! could, but just as he
had acquired an apparently upright po-
sItion his frame relaxed, and he fell
back l stood by him for some min
utes, and, as he seemed to be breathing
easily, l resumed my place at the fire
side, once and again casting glance
at the bed.
Suddenly experienced strange
sensation, and, on looking up, l saw a
spectral figure standing right opposite
me. | rose with an exclamation of sur
prise and approached the form, won
dering how the sick man could have
left his bed and passed me without my
having observed him. l did not lose
my presence of mind, but took a step
toward the dimly outlined figure. Then
/ saw that one hand was pointing to-
ward a small, old fashioned desk which
stood on the top of bookcase. AS
my eye followed the direction indicated
the form disappeared. | turned, ex-
pecting to see the figure moving to-
ward the bed Nothing, however, was
visible. | went to the bed and gazed
upon a corpse!
'"The man was dead beyond question.
l summoned the housekeeper and other
attendants, and when the body was
properly disposed all of US quilted the
room. | locked the door and gave the
key into the custody of the housekeep-
err directing her to allow no one to en-
ter the room until my father came next
day with the undertaken.
''Next morning accompanied my ia
Their to the house. l had already in
formed him what had occurred, and as
soon as some other matters were ar
ranged my father took the desk, and
we retired to another room. On open
ing the desk there was apparently
nothing in it but quire of note paper
We made a close examination; but as
it was simply desk to be carried in
the hand or in trunk we found moth
ing that would indicate any secret
drawer. l took up the note paper and
carelessly turned over the sheets. A
surprise was in store, for on the inside
sheet there was writing. 1t turned out
to be the Photographic will of the de-
ceased-that is, will wholly written
by himself. 1t bore date the very day
when he last visited our office and was
struck down by apoplexy.
''The will left all in trust to certain
woman for the benefit of the testator's
five children, mentioned by name, with
their places of abode. The name of the
trustee | cannot, of course, mention,
nor would it be right to give the adj
dress. The will was duly admitted to
probate. The trustee did not bear the
name of the testator, but all the chill
drcn did.
How do account for the spectral
form? WellRI think he had felt symp-
toms of the attack which carried him
off and wrote the will and came direct
ly to our Office, intending to inform my
father of the fact of its existence. At
the point of separation from the body
the spirit obeyed the last impulse Of
the dying Brooklyn Citizen.
Children and Rivers.
"One of the hardest things | have to
do" says Boston schoolteacher, sis
to get into my children's heads the no
ton that the streams rise in the noun
tains and flow toward the sea. 1t is
next to impossible to make some of
them comprehend anything about it..
They see no reason why the river
should not rise in the sea and flow into
the mountains. Most Of them have new