Produced by David Edwards, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) MRS. TREE'S WILL By Laura E. Richards _Author of_ "Captain January," "Melody," "Marie," "Mrs. Tree," etc. Boston Dana Estes & Company Publishers _Copyright, 1905_ BY DANA ESTES & COMPANY _All rights reserved_ MRS. TREE'S WILL _COLONIAL PRESS Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. Boston, U.S.A._ TO MY DAUGHTER Alice [Illustration: "'HOMER HOLLOPETER,' SHE SAID, 'WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS VILLAGE?'"] CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE WILL ITSELF 11 II. WHAT THE MEN SAID 33 III. WHAT THE WOMEN SAID 51 IV. MOSTLY GOSSIP 79 V. IN MISS PENNY'S SHOP 95 VI. THE SORROWS OF MR. HOMER 111 VII. CONCHOLOGY AND OTHER THINGS 130 VIII. MR. PINDAR 147 IX. "QUAND ON CONSPIRE" 164 X. A PLEASANT HOUR 186 XI. SPINNING YARNS 199 XII. MISS WAX AT HOME 224 XIII. THE SORROWS OF MR. PINDAR 240 XIV. THE DRAMATIC MOMENT 255 XV. AFTER ALL! 283 XVI. MARRIAGE BELLS 297 XVII. THE LAST WORD 309 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE "'HOMER HOLLOPETER,' SHE SAID, 'WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS VILLAGE?'" _FRONTISPIECE_ "'GOOD MORNING, SETH!' SAID THE LITTLE MINISTER" 80 "AS HE HELD THE CANDLE HIGH, ITS WAVERING LIGHT FELL ON THE COUNTENANCE OF THE STRANGER" 143 "'BILE IN, SALEM!' SAID SETH WEAVER, 'YOU AIN'T FORGOT, HAVE YE?'" 197 MRS. TREE'S WILL CHAPTER I. THE WILL ITSELF "Suppose you tell me all about it, Mr. Hollopeter!" said Mr. Bliss. Mr. Homer Hollopeter sighed deeply; wiped his brow with a sky-blue article, evidently under the impression that it was a pocket-handkerchief; sighed again yet more deeply on perceiving that it was a necktie; put it back in his pocket, and looked plaintively at the minister. "I should be pleased to do so, Mr. Bliss," he said. "It would be--a relief; a--an unburdening; an--outlet to imprisoned nature." "You see," the little minister went on soothingly, "our dear old friend's death occurring while I was away, and I returning only just in time for the funeral, I have not really heard the particulars yet. I might--that is--Mrs. Weight kindly called on me last evening, probably with a view to giving me some information, but I was unable to see her, and I should prefer to hear from you how it all happened." "Yes--a--yes!" said Mr. Homer, nervously. "Mrs. Weight is a--a person--a--in short, she is a person not connected with the family. Well, Mr. Bliss, the end came very suddenly; very suddenly indeed. It was a great shock; a great--blow; a great--unsettling of the equilibrium of daily life. The village has never known such a sensation, sir, never." "Mrs. Tree died in the evening, I believe?" said Mr. Bliss.