Page after page the girl read, perusing inconsequential memoranda and numerous notations of property owned by Josiah Crowley, as well as various business transactions made by him. Nancy was surprised at the list of stocks, bonds, and notes which apparently belonged to the estate. The amount reached well over three hundred thousand dollars.
“I had no idea Josiah Crowley had that much money,” she murmured.
After a time she grew impatient of the seemingly endless list, and skipping many pages, turned ahead.
Suddenly, the phrase, “my will,” caught and held her attention. Eagerly, Nancy pounced upon it and began to read.
“I’ve found it at last!” she told herself in excitement.
The notation was brief and written in Josiah Crowley’s cramped hand.
“ To whom it may concern : My last will and testament will be found in safety deposit box number 148 in the Masonville National Bank. The box is under the name of Josiah Harkston.”
The date of this entry was recent and the ink had not faded as in the earlier entries in the notebook.
“Then there was another will!” Nancy exclaimed aloud. “Oh, I’m sure it must be in favor of the Horner girls, too!”
She hurriedly read on, but although she carefully examined every page in the book, there was no other mention of the will.
“No wonder the will never came to light,” Nancy mused. “Who would have ever thought of looking for it in a safety deposit box under the name of Josiah Harkston? In his zest for safety, Josiah Crowley nearly defeated his own purpose.”