Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-24

| him with sealed packet on which was
written:
Give this to Wallace twenty days before
the date fixed for his wedding and tell
him to open il. F|-
Wallace tore off the cover and re-
vealed will, dated subsequent to the
one that had been offered for probate,
bequeathing all of his estate. save S10,-
600 to Wallace. to Rosalie Chandon.
Wallace was thunderstruck.
"Rosalie," he said when he had some
what recovered, uncle has given all
but a pittance to you. While l confess
to my disappointment, it is rather on
account of the noble girl who is to be
my wife than for myself Were it not
for this | would rejoice"
Uncle left all to me, and you about
to be married. How cruel of him!
won't have it," And she would have
torn the will to pieces had not Wallace
stopped her.
| Wallace Glendower had not the heart
to tell his aftianced bride. engaged, as
she was, in preparation for the we'd
ding, that the fortune of nearly Il mil
| lion which she had expected with him
had been reduced to $4,000. Instead
he wrote her a note informing her of
the fact and Offering to release her
from the engagement should she de-
sire to be free. This done. he waited
eagerly for her rePly-a reply that
would show that disinterested love of
which he had so often tried to convince
| his uncle. Two days elapsed before an
answer came. 1t was Il long letter,
| telling him that Gertrude had taken
| the time to consider the altered condi-
| ton of affairs rather with her head
than with her heart and catalOguing
reasons why il would not be wise for
| her to marry him. Wallace read on,
| fearing the worst, till he came to the
end. Then his head sank on his arms
ON a desk before which he was sitting.
| He was aroused by touch on his
Shoulder, and. looking up, there stood
Rosalie. To her he poured forth his
grief, cOnfessing that his uncle had
been wiser than he, and now that Ger
trude had thrown him over he was
really pleased that the wealth had fall
en- into her hands. Rose cOmforted him
as best she could and before parting
said to him: ....
| wallace will you give her up with
out an effort?''
| les sue Iue.
| Her prudence is perhaps praise
worthy. Wait! When you succeed on
your own merits, she may reverse her
decision
'She has not offered to wait. She
has ended the matter in order that she
may look out for another fortune. I'm
Gle was right. She inherits her selfish
ness from the Pages, who have always
been fortune hunters"
And your engagement is irrevocably
broken?"
Yes
"Then take this"
She handed him a sealed envelope On
which was written:
Give this to Wallace upon the breaking
of his engagement to Gertrude Reid.
Breaking the seal, he withdrew a bit
of note paper on which was written:
| The will bequeathing the bulk of my
fortune to Rosalie Chandon was not Signed
| by me. My signature was initiated for me
| under a special agreement with my law
yer.
Dear Wallacer' said Resale, her
eyes wet with tears. How glad 1 amr'
Wallace stood mutely staring at her.
"Oh, uncle" he at last exclaimed,
chow much wiser than /! How sure
that Gertrude would not stand the test!
Now 1 see what he has never told me
that the treasure lies not in Gertrude,
but in you. Rose, 1 will accept nothing
except what you will share with me-
Both stood silently thinking of the
dead. He had loved both. He had
been wise to see the seltishness of Ger
trude Reid and that Wallace and Rose
possessed every condition to make each
other happy. But his browning wis
dom was in showing them the way,
with never a word of suggestion to Ell
Their and after his lips were mute in
death. And how certain he had been
of the result! He had left all to Wal
lace, relying on his good sense, after
being convinced of Gertrude's heart
lessness and of RosaIie's unseIfish ma
ture, to touch the chord that had been
set vibrating inharmoniously.
wallace" said Rose at last, ''if I'M
Gle were alive L would cling TO him
alone"
But since it was his wish :.
And yours :.
my blessed hope"
81 consent. And now, Wallace, let
me tell you the loveliest feature of all
this. The dear old man knew that it
was and always had been my WISH
There is an old maid to whom the
happiness of Wallace and Resale Glen
dover is insufferable. She considers
her loss of fortune owing to the vindic-
tiveness of that 'old curmudgeon Ar
thur Glendower."
EDNA BURKE APPLEBY.