The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-01-06

tered at the start. When the Dudley
will was taken out Of the icebox and
read to the assembled members of the
family, there were at least two shock
ing surprises. Jasper hadn't been nv
where near as rich as we had all been
thinking he was; that his modest
manner OF living had been, perhaps. as
much a matter Of necessity as of
choice. Bad investments-of which
the family had never heard so much
as q w~hisper-had cut his fortune
down TO something less than half q
million, all told. That was shock
Number One; and shock Number Tive
was strictly personal to me: Grand
father Jasper had left me his love and
best wishes, and had willed the MONEY
and property-all of 1t, mind you-to
Cousin Percy, giving rs his reason
Tat Ire thought Percy would make
| better use of 1t.
OF course, 1 had everybody's sympa-
thy and condolence-even Percy's, for
that matter. My mother wept: and.
as l recall 1t, Lisette managed to COM
pass a tear or so when | told her what
had happened; or rather what had SO
ANONYMOUSLY failed to happen.
Whatever will you do?" she fall
tered. II suppose you will really have
to go to work now. won't you, Stan
nie?"
Perish the thought 7" / told her:
then | gave the good reasons why
there was no hope for us I'm that di-
rection. "a fat chance I'd have to
earn any real money. l car navigate
u yacht-a little,-drive q motor, ride
Il polo pony, and play a fair hand ar
bridge and the other great American
game. l think these are the sun total
of my shining accomplishments.
You needn't return the ring" 1
grinned, seeing that she was looking
at it rather regretfully. "You can wear
1T on some other finger, you know"
Yes; l suppose l could do that
she agreed and I'm blest If she didn't
shift it to a finger Of the other hand
right there and then!
Ii was less than q week after this
little fade-out scene with Lisette that
Percy's letter came. This Is what 1t
said:
Dear Stannie:
." know just about how you felt
last week when you heard GRANDPA
Their Jasper's will read. and 1t isn't
going to make you feel any better now
when tell you that / knew Of It's pro-
visions more than n year ago. When
the will vas drawn, grandfather
showed 1t to me-. and gave me a sealed
envelope, which l was to open after
his death. That envelope. as I knew
at the time, contained, among other
things. a codicil to the will. BY it's
provisions you are to receive a legacy
under certain conditions which were
to be revealed to you Mt such time as
might think best.
"Your portion Of Grandfather JAS
per's property was worth. at It's latest
valuation, something like $44O. 900. 1t
lies In a perfectly safe repository. stu
ated between the .10Jth and 10th de-
grees Of longitude west from Green
witch. and the 35th and 10th degrees
north latitude. When you find II. you
will be able to identify 1t by the pres
ence OF a girl with brown hair and
blue eyes and small mole on her left
shoulder, a piebald horse which the
girl rides. and a dog with a split face
half black and half white. You will
he more than likely to find the three
together; and IL o make the ac-
quaintance of the girl. you'll be on the
trail OF your legacy.
$50 there you are. Stannie. old boy |:
there's your" fortune. All you've got
to do is to 60 to work and find II. Per-
haps by that time you will have ac-
quired the working habit-whlch is
what Grandfather Jasper hoped might
prove to he the case.
wishing you great Joy in your
search. ! am.
"Your affectionatc cousin.
"