Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-30

at her symptoms, but now for the
first time / guessed He had been
slowly poisoning her, but getting tired
OF waiting had, during my absence,
given her larger Dose, She knew
that she was dying.
Here" she gasped: II trust you.
Hide this will until my lawyer comes.
should have let him take 1t with him
that night. Hide it,"
THE lawyer who had made Cousin
Rhody's last will took 1t on himself
to look out for that will. He would
not take my word that at the very
last Cousin Rhody ordered me to de-
stroy that will, as I could prove by a
housemaid. This maid was deaf and
while she heard enough to know that
Cousin Rhody had ordered one of the
wills burned she was not quite sure
which one it might be; but, under my
direct look. faltered that 1t was the
newest will.
But the lawyer went at the matter
in high handed manner. He put
every room and drawer in the house
under lock and key until search was
made for that WILL He sent for a
woman to not only search my room
\ but myself for that missing will, which
carried in my bosom. | looked about
for a hiding place for the will, but
there was none. Quick as thought
stepped from a window to an outside
balcony. The next window on this side
the house opened into the room where
they had laid its mistress Before the
woman or sheriff reached my room.
had, by means of these windows, un-
seen, gained access to where Cousin
Rhody lay in her coffin. tucked the
will under her body and when the
sheriff and the woman brought to
search me came into this room | was
sitting calmly reading.
"Remarlling that had been sent by
Cousin Rhody's heir to watch by her
body, | went very quietly, though with
some good show of indignation over
the insult as | termed it, back to my
own room by way of the doors now.
1T was several hours before the
chance was given me to return to
Cousin Rhody's room, and when l did
so | found the coffin closed, and a
funeral director in charge with orders
to not again open it.
In vain | plead with the heir to al
low it opened. He had given orders
that it should not be. 1t was not pol
icy l felt to tell him of the will.
would get it afterward. i knew she
would be placed in the family vault
She had ordered that she was not to
be buried in the ground. She feared
interment The will, | consoled my
self, / could get at any time. There
were two keys to the vault, and | had
awaited myself of one.
But it was never to be. Knowing
that Cousin Rhody's death would not
bear investigation, and fearing that
yet the question might be raised rela-
tive to how she died, the heir had the
coffin placed in the stone niche pre-
pared for it, and giving out that he
feared ghouls might steal the body
and ask a reward, he placed heavy
charges of dynamite In and about the
coffin. l did not know of this until too
late.
How he jeered when | told him
where l had hidden Cousin Rhody's
last will. How he scorned me when
I threatened to tell the lawyer where
/ had hidden the will, and why Cousin
Rhody had died. Who would believe
me?' he said, land if they did, who
could now get at Cousin Rhody
Bronck's body to prove it? | was a
fool He gave me some money but
he never married me. He is still liv-
ing, He has become mfser of late.
He holds all of Cousin Rhody's land
intact He has not squandered it. 1t
is 20 years"
docs the housekeeper and lawyer
still liver the professor hurriedly
asked.
YES came the murmuring reply
But another was speaking now. II
was the young nurse, clear and in
cisive:
IF that woman tells the truth,
which she has so far as / can follow
her, then l am Rhoda Bronck's heir.
for my mother was Marjory Bronck- !"
The hypnotized woman struggled
back to a normal condition, wonder.
Ing what she might have said
The Bronck vault was opened by
lawful edict. A workman famous for
handling explosive in safe manner was
found willing to take away the stone
from the niche holding the coffin, and
risk moving it out. 1t was then found
that the present heir had done his
work we'll; under other hands in re-
moving the explosion that might have
followed would have wrecked town
about that vault. The will was found
as stated by the nurse, but ere IT was
found. she and the man she loved-or
hated-had disappeared forever from
that land.
-a------s------------
The Origin Of the Halo.
tn the public places In Athens one