The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-03-16
CHAPTER Xxx (continued.)

= cioNAS u W.
Tore we go into that, let me understand
vAactiy what these interests are. Mr..
VdughanS estate, I understand, is q
large one"
silva shrugged his shoulders.
l nave understood so,' he said, but
! Know nothing about it, beyond what
MT. Vaughan himself told me-"
WHAT was that?"
Inat 1t was his intention to give
Ills pace as a monastery for the study
OIL our religion, and to endow it"
Dld he mention the noun of the
endowment"
He asked me, not long ago., if ST.
100000 would be sufficient"
Had he drawn up a deed of gift?"
l do not know"
Or made a will?"
AGAIN Silva shrugged indifferently
to dictate that he was also ignorant on
that point, and I turned to Miss
Vaughan.
II there is a will" I asked, where
would it probably be?"
There is a safe here" she said, "in
which my father kept his papers of
value" and she went to the wall n
swung ou a hinged section of shelv-
ing. The o Of a safe appeared be-
hind 1t.
| approached and looked at it, then
tried the door, but it was locked.
ITO open this. we must n the
combination" I said; cor else we shall
nave to get an expert"
Il know the combination" she broke
in; sit is q 9 ="
But 1 stopped her.
MY deal Miss Vaughan" / laughed,
"one doesn't go around ~proclaiming the
combination of a safe. How dc you
happen to know it?"
MY father often had me open the
safe for him"
Does anyone else know it?"
II do not think So"
well, suppose we see what is in the
SAFE" l suggested, and, as she knelt
before it, turned away. I. at least, did
That Silva already knew it 1 accepted
as certain.
I heard the twirling of the knob, and
a sharp click as the bolts We're thrown
back. Then 1 walked to Miss
Vaughan's side and knelt beside her.
into the usua compartments, one of
them equipped with a Yale lock. The
key was in the lock, and 1 turned it,
swung the little Goor Open, and drew
out the drawer which lay behind it.
eff there is a will, it is probably
here l said; ''let US see," and l car
ried the drawer over to the light.
Miss Vaughan followed me, but Silva
had sunk back into his chair, and was
staring abstractedly through the open
door out into the darkness, as though
our proceedings interested him not at
all. Then, as l looked into the drawer,
I gave a little gas of a"stonishment,
for it was almost filled with packets of
bills. There We're five of them, neatly
sealed in wrappers of the National City
bank, and each endorsed to contain
$4,000.
why did your father require all this
money?' I asked, but Miss Vaughan
shook her head.
He always kept money there" she
said, though l never knew the
amount"
1 glanced at the yogi, but his revery
remained unbroken. Then | laid the
packets on the table and dipped deep
bank books, some memoranda of Sc
curities, a small cash book, and, at the
very bottom, an unsealed envelope en-
dorsed, Last will and testament of
Worthington Vaughan"
There we are" / said, took it out, and
replaced the rest of the contents. Shall
we read it now?"
Yes, 1 should like to e it" she
answered quietly.
The document was a short one. 1t
had evidently been Drawn by Vaughan
himself. for it was written simply and
without legal phrases. 1t had been
witnessed by Henry and Katherine
Schneider, and was dated only a week
previously-but three days before the
mur der.
who are these witnesses?"I asked.
They are the cook and the gard
ener."
do you recognize your fathers writ
ing"
as to that"
1t was a peculiar writing, and a very
characteristic one; not easy to read
...I;I ,,,, NOV q oc,1ctnron1 TO if Rlt
at the end of a few minutes | had mas
tered it. The provisions of III will
were simple Elmhurst and the sum OF
81, OOO, 900 in negotiable securities We're
left absolutely TO my dear n re-
yered master, Francisco Silva, priest
of the third circle Of silva. and Yogi,
of the ninth degree, to whom L owe
my souls salvation,' the bequest to be
used for the purpose of undIn a
monastery for the study Of the doc
trines of Saivaism, and as an asylum
for all true believers. The remainder
of his estate was left absolutely to his
daughter, to dispose of as she saw fit.
1T is, however, my earnest Wlsh,' the
will concluded. that my daughter
Marjorie should enter upon the way,
and accept the high destiny which the
master offers her as a priestess of our
great Lord. May the all seeing One
guide her steps Alright"
There was q moments silence as I
finished; then l glanced at Miss
Vaughan. Her eyes were fixed; her
face was rapt and shining.
She felt my gaze upon her, and
turned to face me.
"As your attorney. Miss Vaughan" 1
said, st is my duty to advise o that
this will would probably not hold in
law. l think it would be comparative
ly easy to convince any court that your
father was not of sound mind when
he drew it. You see, Senior Silva" /
added, that there is at once a conflict
Of interests"
But Silva shook his head with a little
smile
There is no conflict" he said. IF
Miss Vaughan doe not approve her
fathers wishes, they are as though
they We're not!"
II do approve them" the girl cried
~passionately, her hands against her
heart. II do approve them"
"All of them" I asked.
She swung full upon me, her eyes
aHame.