Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-04-08

mighty God of His great mercy TO take
unto Himself the soul Of our dear
brother here departed e"
The mason's trowel grated on
the edges OF the ca ty. the block
OF stone was thrust in until il
was flush with the surface of the ped
estal. Carved on the end OF h stone
were four words:
Pulvis
Cinis
Mill.
II was when the workmen had been
dismissed, and the lawyer was at the
) door bidding adieu to the priest whose
strange duty had been performed. that
j Angel crossed TO where Jimmy sat.
He caught Jimmy's grim smile, and
raised his eyes TO where all tina was
mortal OF Reale had been placed.
The Latino" asked Angel.
Surprising, isn't it?" said the other
quietly. "Reale had seen things. you
know. A man who travels picks UP in
formation He nodded toward the
epitaph. He got that idea at Toledo,
in h cathedral there. Do you know
it? A slab OF brass over a deal king
maker, ~Portocarrero, HE jacet pulvis
cinis ct nihil.' / translated it for him;
the conceit pleased him. Sitting here,
watching HIS strange funeral, / won
dered II 'pulvis cinis ct nihir would
come into IT,"
And now Speeding came creaking
back. The workmen had disappeared,
the outer door vas closed, and the COM
missionaire had retired to his room
leading from the yestibule. In Sped
ding's hand was a bundle OF papers.
He took HIS place with his back to the
granite pedestal and lost no time in
preliminaries.
Il have here the will of the late
James Ryan Reale." he began. THE
contents of this will are known to every
per on here except Miss Kent" He had
a dry humor of his own, this lawyer,
as his next words proved, "A week ago
a very clever burglary was committed
In my Office; the safe was opened. a
private dispatch box forced. and my
papers ransacked. / must do my visi-
tor Justice he bowed slightly, first in
the direction of Conner. her toward
Jimmy-"and say that nothing was
taken n practically nothing disturbed.
There was plenty of evidence that the
object OF the burglary was to secure a
siTht OF this Will"
Jimmy was unperturbed at the
scarcely-veiled charge, and IL he moved
IL was only with the object OF taking
up an easier position In the chair. Not
even the shocked eyes of the girl that
looked appealingly toward him caused
him any apparent uneasiness.
60 on" he said, as the lawyer
paused as though waiting for an i'd
mission. He was quietly amused. He
knew very well now who this consid-
crate burglar was.
by copying this will the burglar or
burglars obtained an unfair advantage
over the other legatee or legatees."
The stiff paper cracked noisily as he
unfolded the document In his hand.
~ 9Th formally read the will ana
afterwards explain 1t to such of you as
need the explanation" Speeding re-
sumed.
The girl listened as the lawyer began
TO reed. Confused by the legal term
inology, the endless repetitions. and
the chaotic verbiage OF the instrument,
she yet realized as the reading went
on that this last will and testament OF
old Reale was something ~extraordin-
airy. There was mention of houses and
estates. freeholds and bonds
1" and all the residue of any
property whatsoever and wheresoeyer
absolutely hat went to somebody Tie
wnom she could not gather. Once
she thought 1t va to herself, ito Fran
els Corydon Kent, Esquire, or the heirs
OF his body, once IL sounded as though
his huge fortune was to be inherited
by James Cavendish Fairfax STAN
nard. Baronet OF the United Kingdom"
She wondered IL this was Jimmy, and
remembered In a vogue way that she
had heard that the ninth baronet of
that name was a person OF questionable
the legatee vas to be Patrick George
Connor." There was a doggerei verse
in the will that the lawyer gabbled
through, and something about the
great safe, then the lawyer came to
an end. In the conventional dec
1laration of the witnesses lay
a sting that sent a dull red flush to
Connor's cheek and again provoked
Jimmy's grim smile.
The lawyer read:
Signed by the above James Ryan
Reale as his last will and testament
(the word thief after James Caven-
dish Fairfax Stannard. Baronet OF the
United Kingdom and the word thief
after Patrick George Common in the
goth and Esd lines from the top here
OF. having been deleted). in Ii pres
The lawyer folded the win perverse-
ly and put II in his pocket. Than he
took four slips of paper from an m
velope.
1T is quite clear to you gentlemen :
He did no wait for the mems reply
but went on addressing the bewiid-
cred girl.
ITO you. Miss Kent. I am afraid the
will is not 50 clear. / will explain II
in a few words. Ny ate client was
the owner Of q gambling establishment
Thus he amassed a huge fortune
which he has left TO form. IL ] ma,
SO put 1t. a large prize fund. TIL
competitors are yourselves. Frankly
II Is q competition between the dupes
or the heirs OF the dupes. who wer
ruined by my late client, and the me
who helped In the fleeing"
The lawyer spoke dispassionately
an though expounding some hypothe
! sis. but there was that in his ton
I which made Common Vince.
8 Your father, my dear young lady
2 was one Of these dupee many year
2 Ia9o-you must have been IT nchool 4