Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-08-16

l1cliS boaFuEldu was over" uelLheu
by her loss. At first her mind dwelt
solely on the blighting Of her life. 1t
was not till later that her loss Of for
tune occurred to her. Even compe-
tcncy would have made great differ
ence to her and her mother, who was
IN feeble health. But gradually she
rose above both these misfortunes so
far as TO take hold Of the world again
and perform the work Providence had
allotted her. She had but just resign
ed Il position as teacher in the county
school After her fance'S death she
resumed 1t.
Cicily knew little about the Brown
estate, except that Harvey had told her
that it was Of considerable value.
When she had resumed & condition to
enable her to thin; about worldly af-
fairs and heard :::at the estate had
turned out 10 lie Of much less value
than had been expected she was sur
Erisci Could her lover have misrep-
lessen Il The matter to her? The sup
position was not to be entertained for
a moment. She had dwelt almost to
blul ding on the words she had heard
III lis voice. or voice very like his,
as In some way connected with his
death bnt no Interpretation to them
had o urreI to her. When she was
told that Harvey had left no fortune
eycent the Brown homestead an eX-
PLANTATION Of the message telephoned
TO her On the day Of his death flashed
Into her brain.
ITS fn the northeast corner of the
smck chcuSe"
What Smokeh2rsc? There was no
sTo':chouse on the Brown property.
S." @!,d her mother occupied 4 few
acres Of ground that had formerly
contained the buildings of farm.
smokehouse was, besides the dwelling.
the only building left. Had Harvey
while waiting for bis wedding been
seized with presentiment that he
might die unmarried and, remembering
that in this case his cousin would get
all his property, buried something for
her in the smokehcuse? Taking up
pick and shovel. she went into the
smokehouse and began to dig.
She had but to remove q few inches
of earth when she came to one OF
thore tin boxes commonly used for
keeping documents. Taking it up, she
ran with it into the house and up
into her room. The box was locked,
but the key was tied to the wire han
die on the lid. Opening the box, she
took out bonds. stock certificates and
lastly a deed to the Brown homestead.
One paper remained on the bottom,
contained in an envelope sealed with
wax. 1t was addressed to Cicily.
Tearing it open, she took out folded
paper Endorsed In printed letters,
Last Will and testament Of" and in
WRITING John Harvey Brown" I'm
folding the document, Cictly read
few words bequeathing all the tesla
tors possessions Of every kind to her.
But why had her lover not told her.
that he had left the box In the smoke
house? Gradually probable explana-
ton came to her. Harvey feared that
in the event of his death before his
marriage his cousin, even If Harvey
made will in her favor, might get
rossession CT the document and de-
stroy it. Harvey was secretive man
and might not have intended to speak
OF the buried box if no necessity arose
for doing so.
And here came up the mystery OF
the telephone message. Had not Har-
vey when caught in the storm been
aware Of his danger, gone into house
where there was a telephone and sent
the message? But this theory would
not hold, for If he could go into
house he might remain there and be
out Of danger. Moreover, II Harvey
had sent the message from any house
on the route he was known to have
traversed the fact could be ascer-
tanned.
Cicily handed the will into the court
Of chancery and was put in possession
of her property. One day she drove
over the road from the Brown home
stead to the place where Harvey's
dead body had been found looking for
houses in which there were telephones.
The only instrument was in Farmer
Hardwick's. She interviewed Hard
wick, heard his story, and the two
stood face to face with a deeper mys-
terry than the one that had thus far
puzzled them.
Cicily Boardman has not married
and will never marry. She occupies
the Brown homestead alone since her
mother died. living a life Of solitude.
She is known as woman whose mind
Is normal on a., subjects save one.
That one is belief that she received
a telephone message from her fiance
after his death. Farmer HardWlck
lent color to the story she tells so long
as he lived, but even his confederation
failed to convince any one Of .Cicily
Boardman'S sanity.
There are few-advanced thinkers
who, believing In the possibility OF
communication Of the dead with the
living. cain that there are natural
methods for such communication rs
real, as was wireless biography be-
fore the latter was discovered, and
that some day new law will come to
light by means Of which we may speak
with friends In another sphere with
no more establishment than we now
talk through the air with those on an
other continent.
To- .o.o,as, re tho muscles whether in