News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-09-03

wuth five thousand to his brother Hal
an that the other half Of lis effects
would go to his wife,"
IL don't remember nothil OF the
sort" broke in Mrs. Witteklnu.
81 am not pint blank shore about
that" said Ike thoughtfully, 'but it
seems to me that he said he either had
made a will or intended to make one"
1Mbitha stared at her brother-in-law
steadily for moment in silence; then
she said
"You heerd Lawyer Bates say he
hadn't been able to find no will among
Ike's papers. Now, / am dead shore
! that he made one an that Lizzie de-
stroyed it-set it afre an burnt it."
Mrs, Wittekind stood up suddenly
and faced Tabitha.
Look a-heer," she said sharply, "ef
l was you I'd not be the fountainhead
fur vile suspicion like that to spring
from. Besides, Lizzie Mcnefee mought
take 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. 81 don't know as | could take
oath on it, but | have seed enough
with my own eyes to satisfy myself
that Lizzie is not agoin' to carry out
Joe's last Wishes an'-an' -
Tabitha broke down. She hid her
| 70 II, hoy to a,,I- -i
| lently.
"What have you seed?' asked Ike,
casting a strange look at his wife, a
look which begged her to not interrupt
his heterogeneous.
Tabtha wiped her eyes and began
huskily:
ut was the night Joe died. II hap
pened to be passin' his house an could
see into his room through the window,
l saw Lizzie a-proppin' up his head,
an somehow | felt shore from-from
the way she acted an the way he
moved his head about, slowlike, that
| his last minute had arrived | could
see Sally Long in the kitchen movin'
about, putin the supper things away,
an wondered why Lizzie didn't call to
her. seed Lizzie a-bendin over i'm
| an knowed the minute he died. Oh,
| it was awful! | never did love any
body like | did him, an | never will
stop it nuther. | stood thar among
the jimson weeds unable to move hand
or foot. / expected her to notify Sally,
but she didn't, She turned from him
to his desk in the corner nigh the win
dow an begun to rummage through
his papers. | seed 'er git out the big
leather book he always kept his pa
pers in an seed her look through it.
All at once | noticed her take out a
long legal lOokin' sheet an burn it
over a lamp. The fame of the paper
lit the room as bright as day, an |
seed Joe's face ON the bed an knowed
for certain that he was dead. Then
the paper went out, an l seed Lizzie
pick up all the scraps of burnt paper
an tie 'em up in a bundle. Then she
come out at the front door an tiptOed
round the house to the kitchen. | had
to squat down behind the fence to
keep from bein' seen. She went into
whar Sally was at work, leavin' the
door open.
GLOW is JoeT she asked, a-penty
loud enough for me to heer
"'Why, | hain't been in thar said
Sally. L thought you was with i'm
81 been out in the back yard Liz
zie said Il 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 | heerd Sally scream, an she
come a-runnin' back in the kitchen.
"'What in the name of common
sense is the matter? Lizzie aXed her
"'Mr. Menefee is dead, said Sally.
an then the two went in Joe's room,
an Sally come out to notify the neigh
boris"
But you was in yore room when
Sally come to tell u.s." said Mrs. Wit
tekind with slow incredulity.
Il come in the back way" replied
Tabitha. cat first / didn't intend to
tell what | saw"
what was you dOln out at lhat
time of night?" asked Mrs. Wittekind.
"You told me an Ike you was agoin'
to bed an ended by slippin' out the
back door an pryin' into the window
of Menefee's You'd better reflect be-
fore startin' sech a report as this.
Suspicion might git a-hold of yore
character too"
81 couldn't sleep that night" ex-
planned Tabitha, with hanging head
and husky voice. Somehow l be-
lieved Joe was dangerous an knowed
DR.. Stone had gone up the river to
see the Wilson's. Lizzie always pre-
tended she was dom all that could be
done, but | knowed it wasn't So"
you've been hangin' round other
times, too, l reckon" suggested Mrs
Wittekind.
Tabitha nodded.
81 couldn't hep it," she said, with a
gulp. 81 was a-standin' thar one night !
not long ago an heerd him a-callin' to
somebody so pitiful that it was all |
could do not to go to him myself, an
when Lizzie finally put down her work |
a., 47,o ,l;uf,,, noon, I banp5 hon eppoly |