The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1900-02-14
! miss THORNB'S WILL.

Lawyer Northbrooke had just driven
away from Glenthorne, and Elizabeth
Everill stood for moment ON the
broad terrace, and then, with sigh,
turned and entered the house. Only
that day her aunt, Miss Matilda
Thorne, had been buried, and Mr..
Northbrooke had come down from Lon
don to read the dead woman's will. 1t
was simple enough, and those who
had known Miss Thorne intimately
hardly wondered at its wording:
"To my niece, Elizabeth Everill,
provided she marry man of title, L
will and bequeath all my worldly pos
sessions.
"And if I do not marry?" Miss
Everill had asked.
"You retain your inheritance, the
lawyer answered with a smile. miss
Thorne drew up the will herself and
il is deficient on that point"
Elizabeth's mother, Miss Thorne's
sister, had run off with Paul Everill,
the organist of the church, before she
was Is. Her father had forbidden her
name to be mentioned in his hearing
and at his death Glenthorne had
passed to Matilda Internationally.
She had held no communication with
her married sister till she read in n
newspaper of the death of Paul Ever
i'll, and then she had paid one visit to
the dismal London lodging where Mrs.
Everill lay dying. There had never
been much love between the sisters,
but Miss Thorne was willing to take
her sisters daughter under her care.
So, when the orgauists wife was laid
beside him, their only daughter had
been brought to her mothers home.
Masters and governesses had been
employed to perfect her education, and
her aunt had never wearied of install
ling love of wealth and power, and
horror of poverty into the girls
mind. That her words had not fallen
on barren ground she would have un-
derstood could she have known her
niece's thoughts that evening.
She was thinking of q scene that
had taken place there just five years
before.
Some old paintings had been sadly
in need of the attention that only q
IAorne had heard Ralph Crosby favor
ably spoken of, and had asked him to
do the work. Elizabeth had been much
in the long portrait gallery while
Ralph Crosby talked and painted, and
at length he had forgotten that he was
only struggling artist and she the
niece of the wealthiest woman in the
country and had spoken his love- Miss
Everill could still remember the
naughty stare and mocking smile OF
her aunt when she spoke OF her love
Tor Ralph.
Glove! Your mother loved Pau
Everill, suppose, and you know
something of her life. But make
your own choice. Marry this young
man if you will, but not ono farthine
Of mine will be yours
And the girl had lain awake till day
break thinking of the sordid sur
roundings amid which her childhood
had been passed, and of the povert,
at last she resolved to answer mo
to her lovers pleading.
She WINGED even now as she re-
called the grief that struggled with
contemptuous pity for her reasoning
when she told him the next day tha
she could not be n poor mans wife
and remembered the few bitter word
that fell from his lips as he turned
away without seeming to see her ont
stretched hand. In the last few day
she had thought once or twice, in
vague way, that il Glenthorne shoul,
chance to he hers she would find
way of letting him know that sh
loved him still, that she had loved hiI
always.
Sand now-and now," she said t
herself, while the shadows grew deepe
in the corners of the wide library
''an insurmountable barrier divide
u.s." She clasped her hands tightly
and, with eyes that were dimmed b
tears, gazed into the glowing embers
'Oh, Aunt Matilda, your very kind
ness is but cruelty. wonder wher
Ralph is now? Oh, almost wish
was poor girl today. And yet, no
/ couldn't bear that!'
And the latter reflection was COZ
stantly passing through the girl
mind as time wore on. 1t was YER
pleasant to be mistress of the grel
house and to have money to commant
Under her rule Glenthorne became
very pleasant place indeed; and b.
fore the year was ended 1t WI
whispered that Lord Arthur Kend
was very much in love with her.
Elizabeth heard Ralph Crosby
name mentioned several times late
when she went to London. He WI
occupied upon work that WI
to make a name for him, some sal
Others limited that he was Ill aud Mi
Everill wondered that her hea
should beat SO quickly at the sound
his name. She had resolved to acce
Lord Arthur. He was rich--mu'
richer than she-and quite at the Il
sf the social laddsl Certainly 81