Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-11-04
AUNT BETSY'S LEGACY.

D1Ao > LEtT 1t L.
We'll Fanny" said Tom, laying
down letter and looking at me across
The table, "thiS is rum startl,
"How?" l asked, ignoring TOMS
way OF expressing himself, which ,s
always more forcIble than elegant
hats the matter now, dearp'
"Why, here's a letter from vour
aunt, Miss Betsy Clayton, inviting her
self 10 pay US a visitl''
Nonsense, Tomrr
Solemn fact, l assure Won. Bnt
here-read the epistle Yourself. and
then perhaps you viii be Convinced. ,,
he added, for my face expressed not
only surprise but incnedulity. lyon
Know the writing of course?''
Yes" l replied with a nervous lit.
tie shiver; land | would Just as soon
attempt to decipher Chaldean. Be
sides If l remember Alright, the sub
stance of Msis Betsy's letters used to
be Just as Grabbed as the penmanship.
Read it for me, Tom"
Tom, my husband, is a lawyer and
supposed to be able TO decipher the
most unintelliglhle scrawls.
''The letter is short and very much
TO the poInt,' he said, taking it up
again. Then he read
"'Nephew Thomas Carroll tsince
you have married my niece, Frances
Clayton, suppose you are my nephew,
If there is anything in marriage)-I
purpose leaving my home, the Crags,
on the twenty fourth of this month,
and visiting my nieces. Martha Scott,
Ellen WarburtOn, and Frances Carroll
IN turn. l intend staying one week
with each; and during that time | pur-
pose using every means in my power
to discover their true characters and
dispositions, with view to bequeath-
ing to one of them the small sum of
money have been able TO save from
nv inhospitable little estate of Crag-
lands. My will is made, only the
names, for which | have left blanks,
remaining to be filed in on the cOnclu-
sion of my visits, Please inform your
wife of my intention. and that on her
conduct depends the prospect of in
heritlng the savings of her aunt.
"'BETsY CLAYTON.
"sP. 81 have sent copies OF this
letter to my nieces Martha and Ellenl'"
swell, it certainly is an extraordi
nary letter, Toni As far as L know
Aunt Betsy has not left her crags and
mountains for twenty years-not even
when my father, her only brother, died
and now to think of her starting off
first to Devonshire, then to Norfolk,
and then to come TO us in LOndOnl L
wonder il the old lady will ever reach
the end of her pilgrimage? 1t used to
he her proud boast that she had never
sci foot in a steamboat or railway train
or darkened the door of any house but
her own for twenty years. Whatever
shall we do with her, TOmT"
"Wbv. nv dear, bid her welcome, OF
oourse-establish her in the best bed
room. find out what she likes Ior DIN
per. and otherwise endeavor 10 deserve
81 don't want it, and don't want
bar y I sa1d a little impatiently. =" \ ou
hove no idea what hOrrId old lady
Amt BETSY is. Mamma was dread
+I,IIv afraid of her, she used to scold
bar so a. d find fault with the house
keeping and cooking and everything.
Ism certain she will go rummaging
tbrouob all the closets and drawers,
limo her nose into the kitchen and
iarder. and then Jane Will give notice,
I know she will-she can't pear DelhS
interfered with. Besides, aunt Betsy
aIyrays dimes at half-past twelye-thihk
of that. Tomb -, H.,
ssWhv that's nothing, lassiel Have
.-ooLfasf a little earlier, call luncheon
5inner and dinner supper-what's In
narneP If it pleases the poor OLD lazy
We mnst try to manage it, +" sad LON
cheerfully. - oho,t Anrr
po.svI,i I retorted, with childish ln-
cIination to cry; 'she always scolds anu
fnds fault, nothing pleases heT, anu
She en- rude. Tom. We sha mt DC aoie
70 ask a soul to the house while sues
herer' r.it,. rot like
.-o,, 20 make a mountain out OF nlole-
80 I,ye never seen your aunt, DuG !
IT. IT, II she's a solitary unhappy old iady
or .aa has been seized with sudden
/, ,'n,;,,I, VIZ -, to see some of her relatives
Nos 1S having a very high opinion OF hu-
NoD S na naInre she thinks it necessary TO
hint that she has it IN her power ~ Io
,av any kindness that may ge sil9"n
P Par Never mind the legacy, aH Juse
IT. lIei tbe old girl comfortable IL you
lns'n1 LIa1 aTen though it does entail niue
CsIf C.' denial: remember. you have peas
1eiA vi, lsf which she knows nothing. Come
'n'I' ,llI1 nm ~ little womanl Why IT'S Inree
oa1,s loon ~ Tet before she Will reach US
- them Tom hustled off to the
city lust as cheerfully as norat,ng ~ 1lu
rr,mbling fault-finding. exaspelaClns epss
"a maiden aunt existed. VI couis1 5 n
a.; "a not know that Aunt Betsy hdu
u-;od llu noS moor mamma almost out OF her
= ''e'' 'oi ,,d never ceased railing ana reNi- 1
NJ '. ,,acause she had no boys, Dut ohe 1
~ how she regularly wrote Twice
anr abusing papa because ne was tlie 1
e..i =. ,1Isyton of Deene ana threatening
,,SS on the three useless li1t'e
'eis ~ -, u,oo would doubtless some uay
I,arry and hand over Deehe " s,1r;ons
lars Nor did Tom know no" iul.o o
a., was when our old house ana es1atS
-lars ~, sold after mammals uealn, anu
!, = q. .,roceeds divided among us chlldreh
sI'. .ilo Vowed then never to look upon one
'eU Z % agsin. formally disowned US; yet
y a,r - here She was cody inviting herself
io~ ne visit. Still, if Tom had
y Pc, pa, al This and of every other &C.
'nU~ ''lr,t~;c;ty of Aunt Betsy's he would have
= enri, tia!;nst the same, for he is the most
'aSv az GOOD. .natured fellow in the world;