Year: 1873

Cooling I'm Vain.


~ don't see why it would be very
wrong for me to know what is in
that will"


The speaker was bright, hand
some girl of seventeen = Rena
Crocker - the granddaughter OF
Rich old Stephen Crocker, whose
death day or two before had
brought sorrow to few hearts. Two
grandchildren-Horace Warton and
Rena-were his only relatives, and
constituted his family. Horace
was as mean of act and disposition
as the old man himself. Rena was
a beauty, and an amiable girl, when
she chose. There certainly were
intervals when pride and disdain
were her more marked characteris-
tics, but Rena's eyes were her grand
irresistibility. Talk of diamonds
The flash and play of those wond-
rous living gems offered something
infinitely more lustrously changea-
BILE. 1t was, however, a brilliancy
as restless, as little to be caught and
fathomed, as the bright vagaries of
Jack-o-lantern on a wall. Young
as she was, Rena was a worldly
minded coquette to the very core
already. She had inherited all the
disposition and qualities of heI
mother, celebrated beauty in hel
day. In other respects Rena Crock.
er was decidedly a girl of the peri
od. Very certainly she belonged
to her times in her resolution to get
well married, that is to say, to some
person of wealth and station. Both
together if possible, but the former
preferably. And then to enjoy her
self to the utmost swing of fashion
able dissipation and luxury for the
remainder of her existence.


81 don't see how it would be any
HARM" continued Rena, Gas l
wouldn't do anything but read it,
and theirs no knowing how it might
be tampered with by that rascally
cousin of mine before it is read
next Saturday. I imagine grand
father left the bulk of his property
to me, but there's no telling what
notion the old fool may have got
into his head"


Rena was alone in her chamber.
To think was to act with her. She
knew that q will, drawn up and
signed by the old man a year be-
fore his death, was in desk in the
dingy old library. She had often
seen it, and wondered what were
the contents so closely scaled from
her eyes. 1t was dusk, and as she
stole along through the dreary hall
she half relented, and finally paus-
ed on the very threshold of the
room she was seeking. Then,
herself for her weakness,
she stole in, got the key of her
desk and opened the
drawer. There lay the will, sealed
as she had otter seen it.


"But I'm no better off than be-
FORE" she muttered, 81 can't open
It."


II was useless to peep into its
folds-only detached words could
be seen. But Rena was not inclin-
I'd to be baffled in her curiosity
And she was as fertile in resources
Is the widest of her sex. Lighting
. glass get she warmed the large
wax seal. Then with the blade of
. pocketknife she carefully loosen
ID it. 1t was done. The docu-
nent lay open before her. Her
,yes rapidly devoured its contents,
md her cheeks pale with anger.


"The miserable old dotart J" she
,ried.


The cause of her displasure was
he unpleasant and surprising fact
hat her grandfather had not left
Ter single cent. Every partical
# his ample fortune went to Hor-
Ice Warton. Her first motive was
o destroy the will but second
hought detained her. She feared
he consequences Of such an act i
again slightly heating the seal she I
eaffixed It in its place, replaced the
yill in the drawer and went back to :
er room.
After the first gust of rage had
subsidized she sat down to ,
uietly think the matter over !
here seemed but one way to re-
ain any portion Of the fortune, and
hat was by marrying her cousin
lorace. She hated him heartily 7; {
ct her vanity had always told her I
nat he admired her. She knew ,
er beauty, and over-estimated its
feet upon her stolid kinanan. I
"But fivo days remained before 7
no oponino, of tha will ~ sbo yoneed