The Tupelo journal., 1903-04-17

responsibilities! Those weak moods
quickly passed, however.
She was cashier and clerk at Mr..
Burt's coordination store" which
was really a city department store on
a small scale.
One day, about two days after the
last of her "su%rrenders," as Helen
l%aughingly called them, a slender,
white-faced old man entered the
store. Helen was at her cashiers desk
making out bills. 1t was quite late,
on a cold, drizzly, fall afternoon, and
and no one else happened to be in at
the time. Helen glanced up occasion
ally, on the alert to see if a new GUS
toner came in, or if she herself were
discovered the stranger watching her
quite intently.
When he had gone, Mr.. Burt saun-
tered up to her, and with a merry
twinkle in his eyes, said, Miss Stock
well, that old gentleman came 80 es-
pecially inquire about you. He said
his name was Lawrence, from Hope
dale. He didn't want to speak to you
himself, he said, but just wanted to
know all about you. So l told him
your general history. l shouldn't
wonder at all if he were a detective
in disguise, weaving a deadly chain
of evidence around you"
The winter that followed was a par
ticularly hard one for poor Helen.
Her mothers health was very poor,
and medicine and delicacies had to
be bought. When spring came she
grew no better, and the doctor said
that if she could go to the seaside for
a few weeks, he was sure she would
be greatly benefited. But that was
not to be thought of. Helen was
wearing quit shabby clothes in order
to pay the doctors bill and the rent
of their four rooms.
In the latter part of May, as Helen
was about to start home n evening
about six o'clock, a tall, pleasant
faced young man appeared hurriedly
in the doorway and asked for Miss
Stockwell.
"Oh," he said, after Mr.. Burt had
made her known, respectfully salut-
ing her, Il see you are about to start
for home. l would like to walk along
mission for you, intrusted to M by
my grandfather"
Certainly" said Helen.
Only a few commonplace were
passed till they. got off the main
street, then the young man said:
Miss Stockwell, my grandfather
has recently died apd has left me his
sole executor and heir of his modest
property, except two requests. One,
of $4,000, to the drink cure hospital
and s~anitarium at ~Lansingburg, and
the other of $1,000 left to yourself,
check for which you will find in this
envelope" handing her the same from
his wallet.
Helen drew herself slightly away
from the proffered gift and said ear
nestly: Il am sure there must be
some mistake, sir. You have prob
ably come to the wrong person. l am
sure L did not know your GRANDPA
ther."
He smiled. There is no mistake,
Miss S%tockwell. My name is Gilbert
Lawrence. My grandfather saw you
last fall. He went to the store to
see you, and Mr.. Burt told him all
about you"
"Oh," said Helen, "he was that old
gentleman who asked about me!
But l don't understand. There is no
reason why he should have left me
anything"
you remember that legacy of
S 1000 which you refused some three
years ago?" he asked, still smiling.
"Of course | remember it,. said
Helen, with sad humor. 81 wish 1
could forget it,"
"Well, my grandfather was the heir
who profited by your surrender of
that legacy. But that is the $4,000 /
mentioned as having been ~bequeathed
to the drink cure hospital. Your
present legacy is a part of my grand
fathers savings on the dear home
farm where my father and l were
born. So you needn't fear to accept
it," he urged, again holding out the
envelope to her, which she took with
trembling fingers.
my grandfather, Miss ~Stockwell,"
continued the young man, was the
nearest relative when Mr.. Rollins
died, but he did not leave grandfather
anything. He left you $4,000 and the
rest to another person not a relative.
When you refused to take your share,
it went to the nearest relative, who
was my grandfather. You told the
lawyer who wrote you why you could
not accept the money, and he told
grandfather, who became greatly in
terested in you, and after a while
went to see Mr.. Burt and inquired
about you. My grandfather" with
modest pride) 'had great confidence
in me, and made me the confidant of
all his affairs"
"It-it doesn't seem as if this mon
ey could possibly belong to me-" said
Helen.
st certainly does!" he cried joy
fully. "You will find a copy of the
will in your envelope with the check"
They had now reached her home.
won't you come in and see mann
map" asked Helen, still in her dream
like state.
Il hope to have that pleasure at
some future time, but now I must
be at the depot in time for the $50
train. I wanted to deliver the COM