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


Marston, but upon inquiry Carr lear,
ed that she was young woman VIII,
had taken care of Carson, who u.,
old and feeble. At the time OF NJ,
death surprise was manifested that h
had made no provision for her.
| OF all these persons the last narnAd
was the one in which Edward Ca,
was most interested, though it apuea,.
! ed that at Peter Carson's death shs
was given no special importance. HI
learned that ten years after bis da
cease she had married. She. too. had
died, leaving one child, daughter
who would now be about twenty year
of age.
| On learning this Carr was at opIs
| struck with the idea that the girl WIZ
! had tried to buy the desk might b
| this daughter OF Emily Marston am
the real heir TO Peter Carson's estate
| which had been considerable at hi,
| death and in the forty-slx years tina,
! had elapsed since had doubled. II wa.
now in possession OF Mary Cowdry
an old woman and still unmar ried.
To look for the girl who had bid On
the desk would be like looking for =
difficult to get the name OF Emily
Marston's daughter, and 1t was found
to be Emily Peck. Her address wa.
obtained from a directory.
One afternoon Miss Peck, who was
a schoolteacher, had Just returned
from school when a maid brought her
the card of Edward G. Carr Neve,
having heard Of Mr.. Carr, she thought
there must be some mistake, but went
down into the parlor.
Carr saw before him the girl who
had tried to buy the desk She did
not recognize him, though he recogniz-
ed her at once.
az think / have seen you before" he
said
Indeed! Where?'
"At an auction where 1 bought
desk"
"Oh, you bought that desk, did your
Yes. May 1 ask you why you wish
ed it?'
1.-The desk belonged to an old gentle
man. Peter Carson. My mother, as
young girl, took care of him. He told
her that he had provided for her in his.
will, but no will was found. She ex-
pcClcu " nntl IL III Ills utSh, DuL IL was
not there The desk was bought by
the person whose effects were sold at
the auction I attended. 1 recognized
it from my mothers description Of it
and thought 1 would like to buy II.
since my mother told me she believed
there was a secret drawer in it and /
that secret drawer might contain &
will"
81 should be happy to assist you IN
examining the desk" said Carr, who
had a scheme of his own for impart-
ing the information he had for her. IL
am living with my mother. and If you
will come to our home we will make
an investigation"
The young lady frightened up and
assented joyfully. Carr kept her talk
ing about the situation till her dinner
was announced, when he left her. The
next day she called at the Cars, was
received by Mrs. Carr and taken 70
room, where stood the desk
Carr began to tap here and there for
a secret spring, but, gaining no result
took up his pocket compass. Then be
showed his visitor that the needle was
detected and told her that there was ]
metal near it. Following this up with
the poking as he had done when be
made the discovery, out came the draw
er with the papers in it just as he
had found them. Handing the drawer
to the excited girl, she ran over the
papers till she found the will and
opened it and saw that she was the n
)osSesSor of a splendid estate. n
Then she fell back in q state Of col
apse. II
Mary Cowdry was not especially sor-
Y that an heir had been found. The
state was of no especial use to her,
Ind she had no one to whom to leave
t. She agreed, in consideration OF
Miss Peck's settling an annuity upon
Ter sufficient for her support, to turn
he property over without any process
f law. This arrangement was carried
ut, and Emily Marston's daughter
topped from the position of schooE
eacher to millionairess.
When the beneficiary came to ask Il
edward Carr what she could do for
i'm to show her appreciation Of What
e had done for her he said that she
ad done a great deal-all she could
o--already. He had been told and bad
elieved that he would be nothing but
putterer and would never be OF use
, himself or any one else He hao
lie satisfaction of having brought
ghtful heir to her estate, and that
as quite enough for man of WHOM
othing whatever had been expected 4
Whether or not the heiresS was caught
Y this frank modesty. whether she
,nsidered that there was but one way
} pay the debt she owed, she final9 n
scharged it by giving herself TO tns
IAN who had made her rich. she
kes great pleasure in humoring hes A
taste for old things. ana
J for the desk in which the will was
und, she has had il inlaid with gold
T.,~a . - a rraericafl