The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-03-21
BY MISADVENTURE
FRA NIX B A r r e T T
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me to tell them they must go?"
| "No. / am to consider my position
here unaltered and no change in the rout-
inc is to be made until the will has been
read, Mr.. Keene says"
''Mr. Keene seems to be unduly inter-
fering-to be overstepping the bounds of
his-ah function" said Mrs. Yeames
tartly.
Whereupon little Laure, with the cour-
age of desperation, declared was dear
old man, and wouldn't let cook be sent
away, or let any one be made unhappy.
The day of the funeral came-and a
sad day it is in my memory, for even
lawyer cannot bury an old friend with
out a pang of regret for the past that
can never be renewed; bitter yearn-
ing for the hand and the voice and the
eyes that never again one shall clasp,
and listen to, and look into!
| 1 expected that Lynn Yeames would
be sufficiently we'll to come back for the
reading of the will; but he was not. How
ever, Mrs. Yeames was there with tele-
gram of regret from him (she had torn
off the heading, but l found out after
wards that it came from Monaco, and
herself prepared to stand as his repre-
sentative; and a fine monument of re-
spectability she was in her Grape. To
into the room indeed, had invited every
one whose name was in the will. DIR.
Awdrey was there, looking as if he were
| going to have his head cut off, and Miss
| Dalrymple, and little Laure.
1 opened the will, and in a dead 81
lence began to read it clearly and slow
| ly. You might have heard a pin drop.
After the usual preamble, came the leg
acies to the servants, whom Mrs. Yeames
would have packed off with a months
wages, and then began the shifting and
signing and smothered ordinations of
| establishment and pleasure as they learn
| ed that there were hundred pounds and
| good suit of clothes to come to each
of them out of the fortune of their kind
old master. And when these were dis
posed of, 1 came to the Yeames bequest.
"To Mrs. Anna Maria Yeames, widow
of my brother, Joseph Flexmore, give
and bequeath the sum of five pounds"
1 looked at her over the top of my
glasses as l read this. She folded her
| arms, closed her eyes, and assumed
| look of injured dignity. l would have
given as much as this bequest to have
been able to look round and see how the
servants managed to conceal their feel
ings. However, I contented myself with
reading on:
ITO my nephew, Lynn Yeames, stepson
of the aforesaid Joseph Flexmore"-here
l turned over the page, and glancing at
Anna Maria, found her eyes open, and
her expression indicative of assured tri-
umph-"I give and bequeath the sum of
| fifty pounds and my glass case of stuffed
| BIRDS"
Lowering the will and looking over my
glasses, I said to Mrs. Yeames Flex-
more:
"As your son is not here, will apprise
him by letter of this bequest."
THAT is not all, 1 am sure. Read on,
| if you please" said the lady.
1 bowed, and proceeded to read out In
| full the clause in which Flexmore con-
stituted John Howard Audrey, NJ. D.,
ETC., sole guardian of his beloved daugh-
| ter, Laure Constance Flexmore, and in
recognition and consideration of his ser
vice in the capacity of guardian and trus-
| tee bequeathed to him the annual inter
est on such capital as remained after the
payment Of the foregoing aforesaid leg
acles, life annuity to myself one hundred
pounds, and all outstanding debts, until
| the said beloved Laurie Constance Flex-
more should attain the age of twenty-one,
when the whole estate would revert to
her.
l paused here and again looked over
my glasses at Mrs. Yeames. The woman
had risen to her feet; she was white with
passion. I saw she wished to speak, and
waited. Her lip twitched convulsively !;
1t was some moments before she could
articulate.
"Do-do-do I understand" she fall
tered, shat he has left nothing to my son
but fifty pounds?"
And a glass case of stuffed birds; that
is ALL" said.
IAN the property, in fact, goes to DR..
Awdrey?"
"The bulk of the property goes to DR..
| Awdrey, in trust for Laure Constance
Flexmore, who inherits when she is twen-
ty-one years of age. Until that time DR..
Awdrey will receive from me annual pay
ment of all interest accruing from the
estate, in payment of service rendered as
guardian of the child. There is a further
clause providing for the appointment of
a new guardian in the event of DIR. Aw-
drey's death, and the reversion of the
whole estate to DIR. Audrey in case Of
the child dying before coming of age, and
which l will now proceed to read"
Don't trouble yourself-I don't wish
to hear itw screamed rather than said
Mrs. Yeames.
Madam" said I, II am here to read
this will, not solely for your pleasure"
Let me look at the signature Of that
will" she cried, crossing quickly.
There is the signature duly witness
cd" I said, showing it; "and the date,
yeu see, is the fourth Of September of
last year."
do you mean to tell me this Is the
/ will he made last Year,? she asked.
"I do, madam. Have you any reason
i to doubt itY
81 have" she said and then stopped
short. For how could she explain the
means by which her son had possessed