Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-08-30
aONETIC WILL.



smis,. however. and an ar
r IN tha; profession. the
man. OF his strange Go!ags
i que, ;!oaed ana was mere
. 10 his interest il science.
gill was the possesso. o. &
Eoaghly equipped laboratory
kept secretly guarded and in
grea. p2rt q AS lime was
e was IL posses s.c:: OF ample
20 crafty mis- most elaborate
anG aside frcrn the time and
which Ee spcnt il his lab0ra-
e reserved sufficient [; both fer
oper devotion 10 MS .:oE.e ana
J. as well as 20 ne society N
ne was 4 central figure. He
allowed Il member OF ;-le fam
} cross the threshold of the apart
I which ne held SO sacred.
he morning Mi. Fetherngill cast q
ing Of depression over the family
RE at the breakfast table by open
conversation en- the subject OF
a;h.
.He reasoned that every IMAM mus:
ie-this from 2 scientific standpoint
lie had read of one man who did not
sie. and he did not believe that.
He left The table with the remark
that he was going 10 prepare for de2.h
fand repaired to the laboratory leaving
his wife and three daughters in =
furry Of mpddled thoughts.
telephone order brought 20 the
house the skillful and famous Peter
Vandenhroek, whose gTeal wor..s Of
sculpture had brought hiEl faale aaa
recognition from the remote paris CT
the country.
The sculptor was admitted 10 con-
ference with Fethognsii! in his iahora-
tory. On the following day lie re-
turned with several boxes CT p3rapher-
MALTA and instruments OF his art.
For the ensuing month Fethe-nsill
and Vaadenbroek were clcseted in the
laboratory. ba; 10 what purpose Mrs.
Fe;herngill and her inquisit!ve daGSh-
tiers could not even surmise, and :
thought OF entering the scientis; 5
sanctum none of them dared 10 en-
terrain.
AT luncheon one day the sculptor.
whose presence had sraced that noon
day meal for the previous month. was
absent Mr.. Fethcrngill said that he
had finished his work
Mrs Fs;herngili. whose curiosity had
been restrained until now il was Il the
bursting pressure. asked for the first
time what the sculptor had been doing.
She received the reply that Varden-
brock had been preparing her hus-
bands will.
Why a sculptor instead OF a lawyer
should have been employed to draw
up a will Mrs. Fetherngill could not
imagine, and her curiosity was now
more than doubly aroused, and in
spite OF a conference held with her
daughters she could not discover a
clew which might throw light upon
her husbands strange intentions.
Mrs. Fetherngill was in anything
but a pleasant mood as she sat in the
parlor reviewing her husbands recent
and strange remarks about death and
wills. CHANGING out of the win
dow a scene confronted her which
sent her with loud scream
irto a violent fit CT mysteries. Her
daughters rushed 10 her assistance.
ard were equally Mortified upon see
ing two men bearing into the house
a coffin from the wagon of an under
taking establishment in the city The
bell rang. and Mr. Fetherngill per-
scnally received the men and conduct
ed them with the casket 10 his labora-
tory.
Why old you bring that coffin into
the house," asked his wife. her voice
controlled almost mechanically rather
than by her own will. There is no
telling when | might need It," replied
her husband. calmly. But if you OBJ
ject to its being here will have it re-
moved tomorrow"
True 10 his word. on The following
day Mr.. Fetherngili had the coffin re-
moved. but in a decidedly different
manner than that in which it had
entered tie house.
On the day before the caslset was
handled carelessly and easily by two
men, but now II was carried carefully
by four men, who staggered under its
weight. This peculiarly was not over
locked by Mrs. Fetherngill and her
daughters.
Their curiosity, rather than being
satisfied. was more deeply aroused
when they were Informed By Mr.. Feth-
erngill in answer TO their questions re-
garding the contents of the casket,
that il contained nothing but his will.
1t was beyond them to conceive OF q
will drawn up by a sculptor and de-
posted in a coffin.
The casket was delivered to the Of
fee of Frank N. Adler, Mr. Fethern-
g;lls attorney and bosom friend:
there deposited in his vaults for safe
keeping. and TO be opened after his
death
This peculiar circumstance had no
effect upon hurrying Mr.. Fetherngilrs
departure from this mundane sphere.
and the sty lnge incident had quite
been forgotten when Mr. Fetherngill
was killed by an explosion in his lab
orstory. his features being most hor-
ribly mutilated.
After the funeral of his beloved
friend and client. Mr.. Adler returned
10 his Office. and looking through a
bundle of large official envelopes Sc
lected enc uDon which was written: