Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-01-24

ed bridegroom, no wife 1nter1ereo Will
Peters legal possession. A Will alone
could do that. A search among bar
vey's papers revealed no document
bearing upon the disposition OF his
property. Peter was recognized as the
sole heir by the court Of chancery, but
was astonished to find none or those
securities that his cousin was reputeo
to have possessed, not even deed TO
the homestead, appeared among the
deceased's papers. However, this was
q valuable piece Of property, and Peter
Brown moved into 1t.
Cicily Boardman was overwhelmed
by her loss. At first her mind dwclt
solely on the blighting Of her life. IT
was not till later that her loss Of for.
tune occurred to her. Even comne-
tency would have made q 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
GllOIleu uGl. Que ulo DuI JuoI hSoi6A
ed a position Us teacher in the county
school After her fances death she
resumed 1t.
Cicily knew little about the Brown
estate, except that Harvey had told her
that 1t was Of considerable value.
When she had resumed a condition to
enable her to think about worldly af-
fairs and heard that the estate had
turned out to be Of much less value
than had been expected she was sur
prised. Could her lover have misrep-
resented the matter to her? The sup
position was not to be entertained for
q moment. She had dwelt almost to
brooding on the words she had b. ,.d
In his voice, or q voice very Ike L.,
as in some way connected with h'5
death, but no Interpretation to the.I
had occurred to her. When she WAS
told that Harvey had left no fortune
except the Brown homestead an ex-
planation of the message telephoned
to her on the day of his death flashed
Into her brain.
"It's in the northeast corner of the
smokehouse."
What smokehouse? There was no
smokehouse on the Brown property.
She and her mother occupied few
acres of ground that had formerly
contained the buildings Of farm. A
smokehouse was, besides the dwelling,
the only building left. Had Harvey
while waiting for his wedding been
seized with q 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 smokehouse? Taking up
pick and shovel, she went into the
smokehouse and began to dig.
She had but to remove few inches
of earth when she came to one OF
those 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 ham
die on the lid. Opening the box, she
took out bonds, stock certificates and
lastly deed to the Brown homestead.
One paper remained on the bottom,
contained in an envelope sealed with
wax. 1t was addressed to Cicily.
Tearing 1t open, she took out folded
paper indorsed in printed letters,
LAST will and testament Of" and in
writing John Harvey Brown" Un-
folding the document, Cicily read a
few words bequeathing all the testa-
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 II Harvey
made q will in her favor, might get
possession Of the document and de-
stroy it. Harvey was secretve 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 a
house he might remain there and be
out Of danger. Moreover, If 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 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 life Of solitude.
She Is known as a woman whose mind
Is normal on oil subjects save one.
That one is belief that she received
q telephone message from her fance
after his death. Farmer Hardwick
lent color to The story she tells so long