interest of twenty
thousand dollars until death or marriage, "this being the amount," as
the will said, "that she assured me would be amply sufficient for my
daughter under like circumstances."

As the judge ceased reading, and folded the document, Mrs. Markson
sprang at him as if she were a wild beast.

"Give it to me!" she screamed--hissed, rather; "'tis a vile, hateful
forgery!"

"Madame," said the judge, hastily putting the will in his pocket, and
taking off his glasses, "that is a matter which the law wisely provides
shall not be decided by interested parties. When I present it for
probate--"

"I'll _break_ it!" interrupted Mrs. Markson, glaring, as my family cat
does when a mouse is too quick for her.

Mrs. Markson's lawyer asked permission to look at the newer will, which
the judge granted. He looked carefully at the signature of Markson and
the witnesses, and returned the document with a sigh.

"Don't attempt it, madame--no use," said he. "I know all the signatures;
seen them a hundred times. I'm sorry, very--affects _my_ pocket some,
for it cuts some of my prospective fees, but--_that_ will can't be
broken."

Mrs. Markson turned, looked at Helen a second, and then dashed at her,
as if "to scatter, tear and slay," as the old funeral hymn says. Helen
stumbled and cowered a little toward me, seeing which I--how on earth I
came to do it I don't know--put my arm around her, and looked
indignantly at Mrs. Markson.

"You treacherous hussy!" said Mrs. Markson, stamping her foot--"you
scheming little minx! I could kill you! I could tear you to pieces! I
could drink your very heart's blood--I could--"

What else she could do she was prevented from telling, for she fell into
a fit, and was carried out rigid and foaming at the mouth.

I am generally sorry to see even wicked people suffer, but I wasn't a
bit sorry to see Mrs. Markson; for, while she was talking, poor Helen
trembled so violently that it seemed to me she would be scared to death
if her cruel stepmother talked much longer.

Two hours later Mrs. Markson, with all her relatives and personal
effects, left the house, and six months afterward Mrs. Markson entrapped
some other rich man into marrying her. She never tried to break
Marston's will.

As Helen was utterly ignorant of the existence of this new will until
she heard it read, the judge explained to her where it came from; and as
she was naturally anxious for all the particulars of its discover