Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-08-01

DaNendnI Is the OiAg loSuS VI my udA
riage with Caroline Hatfield; that the
said marriage was celebrated in secret
at the Church of Armfield, in Sussex,
in June. IS. And that the said
Eunice Davenant, my daughter, is in
the keeping of one Gideon Rolfe, wood
man, of Warden Forest, who has rear
ed her as his own child, and who is un-
acquainted with the facts of my secret
marriage, and | decree and appoint
James Hudsley sole guardian, trustee,
and ward of the aforesaid Eunice
Davenant. and at her hands l crave
forgiveness for my neglect of her
mother and herself.
"(Signed) Ralph Davenant,
Hurst Leigh.
"Witness-George Goodman,
"Coachman, Hurst Leigh.
Martha Goodman,
Cook, Hurst Leigh"
White. breathless, Stephen held the
paper in his clinched hands and stared
at the astounding contents.
Eunice Davenant the squire's daugh-
ter.
His overstrained brain refused to
realize it.
Old Ralph Dayenant married! Mar
ried! 1t was impossible.
oh. yes, that was ii. A smile, a
CHASTITY smile shone on his face. 1t
was a joke-a vile, malicious joke,
worthy of the grabbed, misanthropical
old man! A villainous joke, set
down Just to bring about litigation, and
create trouble and confusion between
the two young men, himself and Jack
Newcombe. And yet-and the smile
dide away and left his face fearful and
haggard-and yet that awful fury OF
the dying man when he knew that the
will had been stolen.
No. IL was no jest. The marriage
had taken place; there was a daughter,
and she was the heiress of all that I'M
mense, untold wealth, except the fifty
thousand pounds left to Jack New
combe, while he-he, Stephen Daven-
ant, the next Of kin, the man who had
been working, lying, toadying for the
money, was left with a set Of musty
sermons.
Rage filed his heart; sitting, chok-
/ ing with fury, the disappointed schem-
er struck the senseless paper with his
clinched fist, and ground his teeth at
/ It; then, suddenly, as If by swift In
SEPARATION, he remembered that this
accursed will, which would reduce him
to teggary, and leave an unknown girl
/ and his hated cousin wealthy, was in
his hands; that he and he only knew
of its existence. With a sudden revul-
sion of feeling he sprang to his feet,
and held the paper at arms length and
laughed softly at it, as If it were en-
dued with sense, and could appreciate
( its helplessness.
Then he drew the candle near, folded
the paper into a third of its size, held
IL TO the candle-and drew it back
again, overcome by that fascination
which almost invariably exercises itself
On such occasions-that peculiar re-
luctance to destroy the thing whose
existence can destroy the possessor.
The flame flickered and licked the
Z IRAN paper the SLuOhS NuAAOu AOunu 10
edge; and yet-and yet he could not
destroy it,
Instead, he sat down and with
clinched teeth unfolded the will and
read tread it again and again, until
every word burned and scared into his
brain.
"Eunice Davenant! Eunice Daven-
anti Curse her!" he groaned out.
But even as the words left his lips a
sound rose, the unmistakable tap-tap
of something-some finger striking the
window-pane.
Biting his bloodless lips to prevent
/ himself calling out in his ecstasy OF
| fear, he thrust the will into his pocket,
caught up the candle, swept the cur
tans aside, and started back.
The light fell full upon the face Of a
young girl.