Where Theres a Will

Where There's A Will, by Mary
Roberts Rinehart

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Title: Where There's A Will
Author: Mary Roberts Rinehart
Release Date: March 14, 2006 [EBook #330]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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THERE'S A WILL ***

Produced by An Anonymous Volunteer and David Widger

WHERE THERE'S A WILL
By Mary Roberts Rinehart

CONTENTS
I I HAVE A WARNING II MISS PATTY ARRIVES III A WILL IV
AND A WAY V WANTED--AN OWNER VI THE CONSPIRACY
VII MR. PIERCE ACQUIRES A WIFE VII AND MR. MOODY
INDIGESTION IX DOLLY, HOW COULD YOU X ANOTHER
COMPLICATION XI MISS PATTY'S PRINCE XII WE GET A
DOCTOR XIII THE PRINCE--PRINCIPALLY XIV PIERCE
DISAPPROVES XV THE PRINCE, WITH APOLOGIES XVI STOP,
THIEF! XVII A BUNCH OF LETTERS XVIII MISS COBB'S
BURGLAR XIX NO MARRIAGE IN HEAVEN XX EVERY DOG
HAS HIS DAY XXI THE MUTINY XXII HOME TO ROOST XXIII
BACK TO NATURE XIV LIKE DUCKS TO WATER XXV THE
FIRST FRUITS XXVI OVER THE FENCE IS OUT XXVII A
CUPBOARD FULL OF RYE XXVIII LOVE, LOVE, LOVE XXIX A
BIG NIGHT TO-NIGHT XXX LET GOOD DIGESTION

WHERE THERE'S A WILL

CHAPTER I
I HAVE A WARNING
When it was all over Mr. Sam came out to the spring-house to say
good-by to me before he and Mrs. Sam left. I hated to see him go, after
all we had been through together, and I suppose he saw it in my face,
for he came over close and stood looking down at me, and smiling.
"You saved us, Minnie," he said, "and I needn't tell you we're grateful;
but do you know what I think?" he asked, pointing his long forefinger
at me. "I think you've enjoyed it even when you were suffering most.
Red-haired women are born to intrigue, as the sparks fly upward."
"Enjoyed it!" I snapped. "I'm an old woman before my time, Mr. Sam.

What with trailing back and forward through the snow to the
shelter-house, and not getting to bed at all some nights, and my heart
going by fits and starts, as you may say, and half the time my spinal
marrow fairly chilled--not to mention putting on my overshoes every
morning from force of habit and having to take them off again, I'm
about all in."
"It's been the making of you, Minnie," he said, eying me, with his
hands in his pockets. "Look at your cheeks! Look at your disposition! I
don't believe you'd stab anybody in the back now!"
(Which was a joke, of course; I never stabbed anybody in the back.)
He sauntered over and dropped a quarter into the slot-machine by the
door, but the thing was frozen up and refused to work. I've seen the
time when Mr. Sam would have kicked it, but he merely looked at it
and then at me.
"Turned virtuous, like everything else around the place. Not that I don't
approve of virtue, Minnie, but I haven't got used to putting my foot on
the brass rail of the bar and ordering a nut sundae. Hook the money out
with a hairpin, Minnie, and buy some shredded wheat in remembrance
of me."
He opened the door and a blast of February wind rattled the
window-frames. Mr. Sam threw out his chest under his sweater and
waved me another good-by.
"Well, I'm off, Minnie," he said. "Take care of yourself and don't sit too
tight on the job; learn to rise a bit in the saddle."
"Good-by, Mr. Sam!" I called, putting down Miss Patty's doily and
following him to the door; "good-by; better have something before you
start to keep you warm."
He turned at the corner of the path and grinned back at me.
"All right," he called. "I'll go down to the bar and get a lettuce

sandwich!"
Then he was gone, and happy as I was, I knew I would miss him
terribly. I got a wire hairpin and went over to the slot-machine, but
when I had finally dug out the money I could hardly see it for tears.
It began when the old doctor died. I suppose you have heard of Hope
Sanatorium and the mineral spring that made it famous. Perhaps you
have seen the blotter we got out, with a flash-light interior of the
spring-house on it, and me handing the old doctor a glass of mineral
water, and wearing the embroidered linen waist that Miss