The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-03-28
Chapter 15 THE WILL

Chapter 15
 THE WILL
 IUDITH Dale dried her eyes on . O whisp of a handkerchief after reading the first lines written hel by her former friend and employer and then she looked about the room.
 It was a queer drama, this 1T which she was playing an unwilling leading role. Mrs. Bevins and Ma thile. in heavy mourning, sat or one side and close beside them was Norman Dale, her husband, repre- senting his friends interests against those of his wife.
 Judge Morgan, to whom Big Ton had turned when he found Morton Lampere not trustworthy, motioneC Judith to continue reading, and shC bent her head again, above the let ter.
 Your reading this note, said the ink scraWled letter, will mean that 1 have passed on. have req son to believe they will rush the reading of my will in order to att tempt to gain control of the money 1 have left to you. Lampere will see to this. He will see to other things. You will find your part in this is thoroughly misrepresented. He may even attempt to cause separation between you and your husband.
 Judith, have thought of all of these things and what they will mean to you, during these sleepless nights, and in spite of them, 1 am new will because l do believe that you will have the vision to see my vision, and the strength to carry out my plans.
 You are a daughter of Emil Lane. You lived and worked with him for sixteen years, the years during which your character was formed. I believe he built that character on the same fine, firm foundation he built his bridges.
 Emil never built for personal glory and always his first consid- eration was for the greatest good to the greatest number of people.
 When they press you hard, Judith. think of those you are helping You will understand shortly why 1 sold those bonds and placed the seemingly large sum of cash in the bank in your name. l told you it was to be held In for Ii hflf | wanted you to have complete use of it without interference. legal or otherwise.
 The will am leaving will be bit terly contested. l have prepared for that But the money left for you to use in constructing the dam will be tied up. The company funds may be depleted through forced liquidation and this cash you have, Judith, will be needed to carry on the work at the dam, so the men on the ground will not suffer and so the natives who trust me will not have to wait too long for their hopes to materialze.
 Remember you are only a girl. but upon your firmness in carry ing out my desires rest the des- tnies of hundreds of laborlng men,
 And now to your trial. God bless you. If there is way for those beyond to stand by and strength en those left behind, I will be with you.
 Carry on, Judygirl.
 BIG TOM. Judith looked up. The room wa silent as though those there had fel the presence of the other man, an Judith, eyes wide with sadness a she realized what lay ahead, spok to the Judge.
 "I have finished reading the 1T structions my former employer lief for me, Judge Morgan. l am read now to hear his will"
 THE document was lengthy an \ filled with legal phrases whic meant nothing to Judith. Filled wit grief and forebodings. she locke out of the window. There wer bushy oaks clustering the line c the bayou, and beyond were tn book-like roofs of the little home she had seen on that first trip wit Norman. Tiptilted bindings of re and green and tan covering thei simple stories.
 Judith envied the women wh lived beneath them. She envied tn ones in their postage-stamp yard hanging out billowing sheets. th ones in the matchbox houses bent ing over hot ovens, testing fragrar loaves with expert fingers.
 That night their husbands woul come in, soiling trim ginghams wit hand grimed bear-hugs, but Judit would willingly have had the golde tissue tea gown of the previou night ruined, had Norman wante to give her more than frigid kis of greeting.
 Only half experiencing. sh caught through the maze of leg; phraseology words which mear that she had been bequeathe stocks, bonds and other asset listed herewith and aggregating th sum of five million dollars. to liquidated as needed"
 And. "fifty-one percent of tn stock of the Bevins Constructio Company, heretofore held in m name.' There was also a phras