Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-10-22


of attempted fraud l will
She interrupted my declaration OF
a new faith eagerly. 1T is possible
Maurice" she said. mind reckons
not distance. If we both earnestly
pray. our united concentration will put
us in communication with my father,
nv real father, who is not buried I'M
der lakewood leaves, but living in his
next higher sphere, for prayer, you
know, is the precipitation of individual
will into the mysteries that surround
the Godhead."
| gasped with establishment, for my
fiancee had never before expressed
her concurrence with her fathers Pc
culiar beliefs, but so strong was her
suggestion that under its reflection l
lived the night on q mental altitude
till then undreamed, floating as it
we're on waves of ether high above
the material plane. | went down TO
my office next morning prepared for
ANYTHING. and of course found nothing
new bearing on the case. My unwonted
mental tension broke, as it was sure
to. under the days cares, and left me
irritable. disinclined to work. About
II O'Clock ! closed my desk and
went out, carefully locking the door
behind me. When | returned in half
an hour, although the door was locked,
TO nv great amaZement the top of my
desk was rolled back, and legal docu-
ment lay like a white basis on the tidy
green baize. l crossed the room with
a bound. and stood with my arms be-
hind me, regarding the lost will with
bullying eyes. And something else.
Written across it in the unmistakable
chirography of my fiancee's father, l
read:
$50 much for the phenomena OF spir-
itism! Yours for telepathy, Gilbert
Weir"
A message from the dead The
supernatural seemed to have posses
sion of my practical workshop, the
air was dense with wraithy, floating
shapes. Maurice Brice, you are an
imbecile or the victim of some clap
trap hoax" l declared in a hollow
voice, but the ghostly chill refused to
leave my spine.
"But if it was joke, who could
gain entrance and depart again
through a locked door? And the door
was locked on my returnw THE same
hand that filched it from a locked
box!" chuckled the dim shapes. 1--WE
of the spirit reckon not distance nor
| locks"
To assure myself l was not suffering
from an optical illusion, l lifted the
paper and gravely pronounced my own
writing genuine. But that pencil in
dorsement in a familiar hand which l
| knew was three weeks dead? / let it
fall again with a SILVER.
From too much brooding 1 have be-
come imaginative" 1 reasoned. i
will leave it here, just so, and go out
again. If | find it on my return | will
e-something-if it is gone | will
know | dreamed it all" And glad to
escape the shadowy occupants of my
office 1 again locked the door, trying
the knob to make sure the key was
not a trickster
If l had only relied on my own
Judgment and kept the strange pro-
ceedings to myself! But half an hour
later l again inserted my key, pale
and tremulous, and with Maize at my
heels. There" | triumphed, as the
door swung in. "Of course l was
dreaming. There is no will on the
desk" The top was closed as l had
left it when l first went out.
Maize dropped into my pivot chair
with a burst of tears. ut is your cyni-
cism, your unbelief Maurice" she
sobbed. 81 know it was there; that
you saw it as you told me. There is
so much beyond our comprehension
we have no right to doubt what we
cannot understand"
"But the door was locked" /
soothed. you saw me open it.
did very wrong to tell you. 1t would
still be there if l had seen it. sweet
heart"
unseen forces do not require
keys" she silenced scornfully. my
father has removed the will again to
punish you for doubling" going off
into another hysterical shower.
'Maizie," l began, but before
could find words for my regret a ster
on the threshold recalled me to the
improperly of a love scene in a law
Office, 1 sprang up, glowering at a re-
treating visitor crossing the hall with
long strides.
"Beg pardon" he called, keeping his
back religious turned Il did not
kncw-sorry."
But not so was Darby, the important
missing witness to the lost will, b
efface himself again. l dragged him
protestingly back. did you wit
ness a will which drew up for Mr.
WeirT l demanded fiercely, pulling
my prisoner up before the equally EN-
barressed Maize.
''Why, of coarse" said he. I've
just got back, bringing the will VIII
me. I did not know until yesterday
that Mr.. Weir-that anything had hap
pened. 1 hurried back as fast as
could. What's the matter, old manr
as 1 ste rgered when lie laid the los
will on the desk
sat down helplessly. THAT VII
disappeared from my strong po'
three weeks ago. and as mysteriousll
appeared on my desk an hour ago
bearing an inscription from Re dead
How, then, does it come IN Yur pos
session? Are you a Professor o
legerdemain masquerading az a por
trait painter, Mr.. DarbyT
He looked puzzled. Il don Know