The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1909-04-17

was OF similar composition. SO far II
has successfully resisted all efforts ut
opening Il.
Three experts who we're called 10
our assistance before we found alc
will, gave up after a week and pro
nounced the vault the toughest ven
mre they had ever encountered. The
front wall Is perfectly bare save near
the centre. where II carries curious
ly shaped trefoil keyhole.
"As your late brother was consld-
cred very wealthy It Is OF utmost i'm.
portance that we get at the contents
OF the vault. That rests with you.
as you will sec when have read the
WILL"
Then followed the reading OF the
will. The three brothers listened I'm
tently and In silence. 1t recited that
| the deceased left all he had in the
world locked up in the vault. He
had converted Il into gold--as gold
was the one chattel OF stable slgnifl-
canoe.
Gle had been unable to choose a
beneficiary from among his three
brothers, and so had provided post
norton method OF selection. Tho
one way to open the vault was by
means OF three keys. These three
keys, ran the will, would be found
in the centre OF three cubes which
would be found outside the vault. To
each OF his brothers he bequeathed
one OF the cubes; to each, diamond
drill, also his invention
THE first one OF them to bore
through the cube to the centre and
to extract key could open the vault
and become possessed OF its contents
absolutely and forever. No outside
assistance was to be employed.
The work must be done at the vault.
The three brothers journey uptown
In the same elevated train, but in
different cars. They reached the
house within a minute or two of each
other. At the foot of the cellar steps
they found the vault and the cubes.
Without word they set to work
and removed their coats. They bored
and bored and bored, finding much
sad truth I'm the assertion OF Lawyer
Van Tine anent the impenetrabIlity
of the metal they were trying to
pierce.
The next day they came; and the
next, and many nexts. At She end
OF two weeks they found themselves
about half an inch further than when
they started.
From the first and without explain
alton they adopted a system by which
two OF them were always to be found
at the vault. Such was the measure
OF their fraternal trust.
One night while Henry was az work
his drill broke. He looked up In ire
pidation, to discover whether Joseph,
who was working at his side. had
noted the mishap. Apparently Joseph
was oblivious OF all save the task be-
fore him.
SO Henry sat there idle until Johns
arrival in the early morning relieved
him. Then he left. going at once to
a celebrated diamond setter TO re-
place his drill.
''No use" said the mechanic after
he had examined the broken drill
II cannot replace 1t. This Is one OF
the drills made by Richard Wingate.
an eccentric old chap who died re.
Gently. You can search the world oV-
er without finding it's mate. My fem
offered him a small fortune for bis
formulas. He refused to dlvulge."
That night Henry's fertile brain con-
ceived scheme to circumvent the
mischance that had robbed him OF all
prospect OF sharing in the estate. It
was desperate chance. but an only
one. The next morning two penciled
notes were handed 70 John and Jo'