Argosy, Vol. 122, No. 1 — page 78: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

inding’s S cepings John Boyd Clarke ; Author of ‘A Challenge te Romance,” “ Breadaame Whispers,” ete. WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED OLONEL HARDY MAYWELL, at one time or another, had made three different wills: the first in favor of Allaine Maywell, his grandniece; the second benefiting Lawyer Andrew Maywell, his nephew; and the third favoring Allan Maywell, twin brother to Allaine. Now, on a certain rainy evening, while the dead Colonel Maywell was lying in state in the darkened house at No. 97 Trevorth Street, there was a party in progress at No. 102, across the way, and Officer Harry Vale’s meeting with a young man who professed to be waiting for a certain housemaid was practically coincidental with a meeting between Grif Pelley, old-time crook, and Lawyer Andrew Maywell, who, hiring the former that night to crack his deceased relative’s safe, gave him an envelope to substitute for a certain other envelope in a certain pigeon~ hole of the safe. Pelley’s share was to be all the money therein—some fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars. Next day’s results began with Vale’s discovery that the young man had lied about the housemaid; then, following Lawyer Wilmot’s discovery that the will he was about to read to Allaine and Andrew Maywell left everything to Allan rather than to Allaine, as he had expected, came Andrew’s assertion of Allan’s guilt, the latter’s alibi, his defiance to Andrew to produce his will, and the crafty lawyer’s departure for Pelley’s store, where he found that the latter had been taken to the hospital for a serious operation. For he had seemed himself taken aback at the discovery of the will. Just previous to this ee had learned from Vale of the policeman’s encounter with a young man who resembled an. With the lawyer’s departure there followed a discussion of his motives between Wilmot, Allan, and Allaine, Allan suggesting that Drew had substituted the will favoring Allan for the one favoring Allaine, knowing that he possessed still another favoring himself and invalidating the present one. Wilmot pointed out, however, that Drew need make no substitution when he could - as easily have destroyed the will, waiting until the proper time to produce his own document, which he claimed had been given to him personally by Colonel Maywell. Allan hesitated. His blazing countenance paled slowly. “Yes,” he muttered, “that is a little thing that I overlooked, it is true.” CHAPTER VII. “ALL IN THE FAMILY.” NCLE DAN McKANE chanced to spend a part of one of his very few evenings off at his sister’s supper- table. This was the second evening follow- ing the discovery of the burglary at 97 Trevorth Street and the funeral of Colonel Hardy Maywell. “ Tis very true the Irish have all the luck in the world,” quoth Uncle Dan, apropos of nothing but his widowed sister’s hospi- tality and his nephew’s smile; “ but other folks have most of the money. The way it will probably work out, that sharp chap, Andrew Maywell, will come in for some- thing like half a million of the old colonel’s estate.”’ “And how much will that pretty girl get that I saw coming out of the house the day of the funeral, Uncle Dan?” asked Harry Vale. “ Plaguey little, I hear. Old George Wil- mot—you saw him that day, Harry—was in to see me about the safe robbery. I€ This story began in The Argosy for June 5. 68 cComiclbooks.com