CHAPTER XXXIV.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 322, 5 December 1888, Page 3

CHAPTER XXXIV.

ROBERT DALE'S WILL BROUGHT TO LIGHT. He looked each paper carefully through' writing down the amounts rep'esented» and finally adding them to find the sum. ' Well, it makes quite a handsome little forhino, when we take into con-iderafc on tue fuut that it has been accumulating all these years,' he said, as he pushed toward his son the paper upon which he had been figuring. 'And yet,' he added, 'I, know that this cannot represent one-half of Robert Dale's fortune. What can have become of the rest ?' •He may have given it away during his life,' Everet suggested. 'Possibly; and yet I do not believe it,' said Colonel Mapleson, thoughtfully. *He was a strange character, as the hiding of these documents prove', and I am convinced there are more concealed somewhere else.' • I do not see what the man could have been thinking of, if he was in his right mind, to leave his property in such a way, without leaving some clue to it! How could he expect his heir would ever be benefited by his money, when what represented it was concealed in that secret compartment V said Everet, impatiently. ' That is a question, and the act was only one of the many queer things that made the man what he was,' replied his father. •What will you do with these papers?' the young man inquired. • I do not know what to do with them, 5 returned the colonel, a perplexed frown on his brow. ' Who could inherit the property in case the direct) legatee cannot be found ?* • I suppose I am the nearest of kin,' said Colonel Mapleson. 'It was so decided when the question as to who should inherit the Hermitage and land belonging to him came up after his death.' • Then all this money will be yours also, if neither Annie Dale nor any of her heirs can be found ?' aaid Everet, with suppressed eagerness. ' I suppose it will ; but — ' • But what ?' •I do not want it, Everet ; I have enough without it. I would much prefer that the rightful heir should have it.' ' I suppose' you will advertise for Annie Dale, or for her nearest, of kin*?' Everet! said, bending a keen look upon his' father. ' I don't know. I shall have to think the matter over first — perhaps consult, my law-, yer about it,' Colonel" Mapleson replied, meditatively. He fell into deep thought, t and neither < sp'oke'for several minutes. A't 'length the colonel glanced up at the clock. 'Well,' he remarked,^, with a sigh, 'I 1I 1 have business to attend to, and I must be; off.' _ -„';.' -- * * He .arose,, gathered up .the papers, care j ! fully, wrapping them allogttiitr, th«m look-

"■'.'' ' : •".*-' t' '- ' inff them in a drawer o£ his desk, he abruptly left; the room. <! Everet sat there- for more thatvan. hour '-afterward, 'his head bowed upon hand, '.thinking <jckiep]ly,j;hi3 v brow,con.bracjedj )\m> whole face wearing a perplexed and troubled l<wk.r"«'t >v -i •: f.- : >\i'>' ,'-1. '• ''<.! > ( ) ! lW , j^t^en&th he.^qo^Jefb tjie ho;ase>, ordered , •' ,his" horsey and irode away v in 'the 'direction b'f , 'theolclhiilbv ,"•"'' ! ' .'/."'•' ''" ','&eaahing* the*" Dale cottage, which was evidently his destination,; lie di-mounted, fa^toned, his, horse, «and thyon bentMiis step 3* ai.ound to the back door, intending' to, fprco aiv en trained; as betbro ;' andiyet;' if *any- ■> one had Usked, the' question, .'hecbuld 'not •have, told., why 'he. had come, bl)ere, again ' • Bub, as .he^was, passing', the window. of the little bed-room, he' was sure that he saw one of the curtains move. 5 Aha !' he ' said to himself ; ' either a mouse or some human' being was, the cause 'of that, Tdo nob believe there is anything >inside that emp^ly house to, attract a hurigry .mouse, so I will- be cautious in my movei men ts and maybe I" Shall make & discovery 06 some k.ind.'i . ' , He slipped t off his. low shoes, stepped noiseless-ly upon the verandah, keeping out' of t,he range of the window so as not to cast a shadow within the room, and crept close up i,o the low sill. ;• - The curtain h"ad been thrust aside a trifle so that he could easily see the interior of bhe'.roonvand h's beheld that which riveted him. spell-bound to the" f-pot, and drove every drop of blood to his heart. He saw — his father sibling close beside the window, so. close tha.this lightest move•menb cauj3b,d one of his arms to 'hit the curtain. ''• A Vi f , j 1 On-the floqn -him there .atood an open trunk -pf medium.^ize,; which, apparently, had been pullgd] from beneath the bed, and from whjch Colonel Maplesonjhad ' taken a portfolio,' w*hile he was absorbed in , looking over a package of letters which it contained.^ He was very pale, and his son could perceive traces of deep emotion on his lace, which seemed to have grown strangely old dur'iig the last two hours. The young man drew back, after that one look, the colour all gone from his own face, his lips sternly compressed. Without making the slightest noise he stole from the verandah, picked up his shoes, and hurried from the place. Outside the gate, he paused long enough ■to replace his shoe's on his feet-, when he again mounted his horse and rode quietly away. Half an hour later Colonel Mapleson emerged from the front door of the cohtage, and, after looking cautiously around, as if he was afraid of being observed, he pa-sed .quickly down the steps out of the gate, carefully closing it after him, and then strode rapidly toward a thick growth of trees and bushes, behind which he had fastened his horse. ( Springing into his saddle, he spoke sharply to the animal and rode away at a brisk trot in the opposite direction from that which Everet had taken a little «vhile before. But at the end of amile or so, be turned abruptly into another cart path, and, after nearly an hour's rjde, came in sight of the Hermitage. Dismounting, he led'his horse behind the ■ house into the dilapidated stable, where he would be sheltered and concealed from sight, if anyone chanced to pass that way, and then he made his own way inside the Hermitage It was evident, from all his movements thab he had come there with some settled purpose, for he drew a hammer and chisel from one of his pockets, and then commenced a systematic examination of the room thab had been "Robert Dale's sanctum. <L Bub it proved to be a rather discouraging undertaking, for there/ was very little about the room to suggest a place of concealment for anything of a valuable character. There was so little 'woodwork about the house that there was "not much chance for -Beret panels or closets The doors were of oak — solid oak, for he tested them thoroughly with his hammer. The bookcases offered not the slightest evidence of any hiding-place ; the desk he examined several times, finding the compartment of which Everet had told, him, but no other, although he cribically examined every portion of it. The floor was of brick, paved in herringbone patterns, but there "was no indication that a single one had ever been removed for any purpose whatever,, although he inspected the whole surface with the utmost care. At last, wearied' put with his fruitless efforts, he Bat down in the chair before the desk, to rest and to think. * I am confident, 3 he muttered, c that the man must have made a 'will, and that there are other papers existing, representing a large amount of property. I believe he cunningly concealed them during his lifetime, thinking that when he came to die he would have warning enough to enable him to confide his secret some trustworthy person.' He looked up at the ceiling ; he closely scrutinised fche window-casings and the tireplace. But bheie wasn't a crack nor a crevice that promised a revelation of any kind. Suddenly an idea struck him, and he hastily arose from his chair. It was a stout office chair, cushioned with leather that was nailed to the frame. He turned it bottom side up. Nothing but solid wood met his gaze. He set it upright again and passed his hand over the cushion. It was springless and to all appearance had never been disturbed since ib was fi~rsfc -nailed to bhe chair, After thinking a moment, Colonel IViapleson took his jackknife from his pocket and deliberataly cut the cover entirely off. .Only a scant* layer £>£ curled hair lay underneath, closely matted an<i filled with dust. He removed' tHis, arid instantly an exclamation of satisfaction escaped him, for there, in the bottom of the chair, be had discovered a f square lid, so cunningly and smoothly fitted in its place that no one would ever have suspected ifc was there. A tiny leather strap indicated how it was to be lifted from its place. He eagerly removed it and, underneath, discovered a small japanned trunk about twelve inches square. Ib was the work of but a moment to take it from its cunning place of concealment, where it had lain undisturbed' for so many years, and set it upon the desk before him. Then he sab down again and gravely looked at it, while he actually trembled with excitement and drops of perspiration > stood all over his face. It was strange that the unearthing of ; another man's secrets should affect him thus, and it almost' seemed as if he shrank i with a sort of superstitious terror from examining the contents of that inoffensivelookino: trunk. At length he raised the hasp and threw back the lid. The 1 first thing that met ( his eye was a' document labelled, ' Will of ! Roftkrt Dale,' with ''the* date, showing that it had been made only a very' few years ' previous to the man's death. , With a slight shiver of repugnance, Colonel Mapleeonjlaid it unopened' on the i desk. t ~' 's ' ' , Underneath' he found several bank-books ! and certificates, all in Kobert Dale's name. ; Th«n to hii •itoniiihHwnt ha loUad ft lady's

kid glove that. once had been white; a handkerchief, fine and sheer, edged with soft Jace, and njarked with the initials * N. D.^worked ' with 1 h*air." < ,A- little package;, • Acoabaimjjg a.few'.fade^fioweraj' layatftho bottom \of thetrunkV and the .secret of <! ißobert Dale!s>hermit life, and'lof, .the • dis-' iposab , of; hh ,-prqperty, ,■■ wfas-a., sebret v no ) longer. , r / . , v ■ , .., , A'n r examination of , the bank-books and, certificate's revealed] Uhe f act-% that many • thousands of dollars*, would fall >to JRotiert' Dale's 'heirs,, whpey'e^ they^migb'fc' og, .an,d.j that, point doubtless ' the will would settle. |( ';" ll ",_ '.'-V " ' ' ; Colonel Mapleson replaced the- qontentsof the trunk- justas he had fbund'tfiem, /until he came, to t;he will,' which l he< held irresolutely in his haiids for a long/ time- and apparently absorbed in thought. " ' Somebody^as' to know first or.last;' heat length muttered, with a loner dr,awnj sigh, but he shivered with a sort of nervous dread as he unfolded* the dbcumeiit which 'was not sealed, and' began to'read it. It was,, very brief and comprehensive^ bequeathing all that the testator possessed, unreservedly,, to ' Annie Dale. and her heirs for ever,' and * naming" as his executor a certain man, residing in R ; chmond — Richard' Douglas, to whom alone had ' been , confided the secret of the concealment of the will and other papers. ' ' ' " ' 'Ah !' said Colonel Mapleson, ' this accountsfor their never having been discovered before - Richard Douglas was very ill at the time of/ Robert-. Dale's death, and. was himself buried ,'pnly a week later.',, , ' There was a codicil, to the w,i|l,' mentioning some later - deposits* w-hich , had, been made in the -name of ,An,nie Dale, ' certilicates of whibK would be found beneath a movable panel in one end 'of the writer's desk, there being no room for them in the trunk with the others.' Colonel Mapleson looked greatly disturbed when he finished reading the document. ' It would have been better for me had a mountain fallen upon me, than the duty which this discovery imposes,' he groaned as he laid it back in its place and closed the trunk. ' I must either do it, or commit a crime by withholding a fortune from the lawful heir.' He fell into a profound reverie, which lasted until the sun went down and the light began to grow dim and the air chill within that lonely dwelling. An impatient and prolonged 'vhinny from his horse at length aroused h..n from his paintul- musings, when he arose, and, taking the trunk with him, he left the house, brought forbh his borse'from his long fast, and started on his homeward way. It was quite dark when* he reached Vue de l'Eau, and, by exercising a little caution, he managed, to effect an cn 'ranee to , liia library unobserved, where he immediately concealed " the trophy which he had that day discovered. * ■* * * * -X * While Colonel Mapleson had been engaged with his laborious search at the Hermitage, his son was" earnestly pursuing investigation el«ewhere. After stealing noiselessly away from Ihe cottage, where he had discovered his father within it looking over that trunk, he only proceeded as far as the old mill, where he again dismounted, and leading his horse beneath a shed that was attached to it, and which was so thickly overgrown with vines that it made a very secure hiding-place, he fastened him to a post, after which he climbed the stairs to the main portion of ohe orazy structure, and remained there watching until he saw Colonel Mapleson leave the cottage, and when he was well out of sight he stole back to the mysterious little house resolved not to leave il again "until he had "• seen the contents of that, too, hitherto unsuspected trunk, and learned the secret of its being there. He effected an entrance the same way that", he had done before — by shaking loose the bolt on the kitchen door — made his way to the bedroom, lifted the valance of the couch and looked eagerly beneath it. The trunk was there. It was the work of but a moment to pull it forth from its hiding-place, but it was not so easy to open it. „

He pried patie»fcly afc the lock for a long time before he succeeded in forcing it ; bub it gave way afc last, and with a thrill of expectation, mingled with something of awe and dread, he laid back the lid to examine the contents. It was packed full of clothing. There were" dainty dresses of different materials — silk, and wool, and muslin. There were mantles and jackets, with underclothing, finely embroidered and trimmed with lace, besides many other accessories! of a refined lady's toilet. There were pretty boxes filled with laces, ribbons, handkerchiefs, and gloves. There was a small jewel casket, in which there were a few but expensive articles of jewellery — a watch case, containing a small enamelled and jewelled watoh and chain, and many other articles in that closely packed trunk. Bub Everefc cared for none of these things ; he was hunting for, and at last he found, thab portfolio over which his father had been so absorbed, and be seized it with an air of triumph, for he beloved it must contain the solution of the secret which of late had caused him many sleepless nights and anxious days. {To be Continued.)

The American law for the exclusion of the Chinese is being stringently enforced at the port of San Francisco. Several steamerß carrying Chinese passengers to San Francisco have been prohibited from landing their passengers, and the steamer Duke of Westminster, from Hong Kong, among the number so prohibited, left San Francisco for Vancouver with her original complement of Chinese, after having 1 exhausted every means to secure for them a footing upon American soil. This was while the mail steamer Zealand!* was lying at San Francisco, and the new order of thines wa a , it is stated, watched closely by her Chinese crew. From statements that have been made in connection with the Zeplandia's crew it would seem that the anti-Chinese feeling had become so pronounced that her crew apprehended they would sooneror later share a similar fate to that of their countrymen on board the Duke of Westminster and the otHer prohibited vessels, as during the Zealandia's stay in port, opportunity was taken to desert from the ship. Whether this resulted from a fear that they would not be permitted, as on former trips, to go ashore in the ordinary way, or that they dreaded the other alternative of - being shipped backto their rative i land, does not matter very much ; but it is certain they had a presentiment of trouble ahead in some form or other, and every man of them clandestinely' left the Zealandia. From a labour point of view, their action resulted to the advantage of the white sailors, the steamer having been thus compelled to ship a full crew'of American, seamen. An Irish farmer who /had married a woman with' 1 - a woofden leer, was asked the reason for his strange preference. "Bedad," he replied, "she'll fye ay great use on the farrum.' Don't ye see as she walks .along the field' 'the wooden leg will prod' holes, and she'll drop in the spuds as she 1