Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-02

carry back at once he would toss it
into this pigeonhole. One day he put
pocket compass in there. In tax
ing it out he noticed that the nee
die was DETECTED. There was not a
bit of metal near enough to affect it
sensibly, and Carr was at loss to I'M
derstand the detection.
The young man moved the compass
TO the right and to the left, the needle
holding the same position-toward the
pigeonhole. Putting his hand into the
latter, he discovered that it did not
extend the full depth of the desk. But
on examining the other pigeonholeS
in line with it he found that none of
them extended farther back. He tried
the magnet on them all, but without
any noticeable effect except on the one
in question.
Now, what Edward Carr did not
know about old desks was not worth
knowing. He was aware that many
of them contained secret drawers. He
was also aware that some of these
drawers instead Of being made of wood
were made of metal. He believed that
the needle of his compass was attract
ed by a metal drawer. At any rate,
there was some metal substance there
that influenced it. Taking up a pen
holder, he began to poke about on the
back of the pigeonhole. After doing
this for some time he struck the upper
right hand corner, and the whole sur
face comprising the end of the COM
partment pressed forward against his
penholder. When it had come as far
as it could he took it out and found it
to be a drawer made of steel. 1t was
filed with papers yellow with age.
Carr fell to examining the contents
The first paper he opened contained a
flower that had evidently been there
for many years. Carr wondered what
the story was connected with it and
passed on to the next. 1t was a let
ter from son to his father promising,
if forgiven for past sins, to mend his
ways.
On striking the next document Carr
assumed that he had come upon some
thing of Importance. 1t was the will
Of one Peter Carson, executed fifty
years before, making a few small be- !
quests and leaving the rest of his es- |
ate to Emily Marston.
Here was will that had been locked |
III for half a century Doubtless the |
,estator had died long ago and the es- /
ate had gone to the heirs at law, the |
'eal heir getting nothing. Possibly |
here was a later will. If so this one
vas of no value. Quite likely the prop
,rty involved had passed into certain
lands, and would it not be better that
40 hA ]
not be better that the possessors
hould not be disturbed?
Then suddenly the remembrance of !
he young woman who had bid on the
lesk and seemed greatly dlsappoint-
d at not getting it popped up before
airs minds eye. Might she not be !
Emily MarstOn? He smiled as it oc-
urred to him that Emily Marston
ould not be less than fifty years old.
hut the girl and the desk and the will
II got tangled up in Cars brain and
lie could not separate them.
Carr was not long in deciding on the
iSht way TO treat this case. He went
lawyer and asked him TO look uu
he estate OF Peter Carson. 1t was
ound that Peter Carson had died forty
ears before without will. The heir
law was son. Nic0las Carson.
Tho had gone TO the bad An effort
ad been made to find him at the time 5
his fathers death. but IL had been
There being no proof OF Nicholas Car
1n's death, the estate had remained
chaneery for ten years, when the
ext and only heir at law. Mary Cow
ry, spinster daughter OF Peter Car
ms sister. succeeded in obtaining
ON the courts a document declaring