Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-09-06
AUNT BETSY'S LEGACY

"Well Fanny" said Tom, laying down
letter and looking at me across the table,
this is IA rum start ~
"How 4" | asked, ignoring Toms way of
expressing himself, which is always more
forcible than elegant whats the mat
ter now, dear ~
"Whv, here's letter from your aunt,
Miss Betty Clayton inviting herself to pay
us a visit ~
Nonsense, Tom ~
"Solemn fact, assure you. But here
read the epstle yourself, and then, per
haps, you will be convinced, he added for
my face expressed not only surprise, but
ncredulity "Yod know the writing, of
course =
Eyes, replied, with nervous little
| shiver "and would just as soon attempt
to decipher Chaldeau. Besides, if | remem
ber Alright, the substance Of Miss Betsy 5
letters used to be Just as grabbed as the
penmanship Read it for me, Tom"
Tom, my husband is lawyer, and sup
posed to be able to decipher the most unin-
telligible scrawls.
"Ihe letter is short, but very much to
the point he said, taking it up again
Then he read
Nephew Thomas Catroll since you have mar
r'eu my nlTce, tfan'is NHy '"n' suIIos, you
are my nephew ul''J Is any .iil'E III
, p' po, ''y ''o''' W. .,'
So, rI,,, war,r,,,, arI r,on.s cam 10,
tn,, i,,,,.r s,,,i, ana ,,.l ,,i,t oa,,, a,,,,
dnrin,, that time nnr,,s.. ,,sin, ever, means in
nv pog4r 10 discover their true characters and
dispositions with a view to beaueathinp To one Of
them the small sum Of money have, been able
10 save from nv inhospitabl, little estate OF Crag.
lands My viii is made, only the names, for
which have left blanks, remaining to be- filled
in on the conclusion Of my visits. Please inform
your wife Of my intention, aud that on her con
duct depends the prospect of inheriting the saw
ings Of her aunt Betsy CLAYTON
y. s. have sent copies "i this letter TO my
niects Martha and Ellen
We'll, 1t certainly Is an extraordinary
letter, Tom As FAR as l know Aunt Bet
sy has not lett her crags ana mountains for
twenty years-not even when my father,
her only brother died, aud now to think Of
her starting OF first to Devonshlre, then
TO Norfolk, and then to come to us IN Lon
don ! wonder if the old lady will ever
reach the end OF her pilgrimage 1t used
10 he her proud boast that she had never
set foot IN steamboat or railway train, or
darkened the door OF any house but her
we do with her Tom .
why, my dear, bld her welcome, Of
course-establish her III the best bedroom,
find out what she likes for dinner, and 9th
erwise endeavor to deserve the legacy J"
II don't want 1t, and don't want her, 81"
said little impatiently. You have no
idea what horrld Old lady Aunt Betsy Is.
Mamma was dreadiully AFRAID OF her, she
used to scold her so and lind fault with the
housekeeping and cooking and everything.
m certain she VIII go rummaglng through
all the closets and drawers, poking her
nose into the kitchen and larder, and then
Jane VIII give notice, ! know she wlll-she
cant bear being lnteriered with Besides,
Aunt Betsy always dimes at l@;3o-thlnk OF
that. Tom :"
Why, that's nothing, lassle Have
breakfast little earlier call luncheon din
ner, and dinner supper-what's in a name:
If it pleases the poor old lady, we must try
to manage 1t, said Tom cheerfully.
That's all you know about Aunt Betsy
| retorted with childish inclination to cry;
she always scolds and finds fault, nothing
pleases her, and she's so rude, Tom. We
sha mt he able TO ask soul to the house
while she is here.
Come, come, Fanny its not like you
TO make mountain out OF mole-hlll.
I've never seen your aunt: but take 1t
she's solitary unhappy old lady, who has
been seized with sudden longing to see
some OF her relatives Not having a very
high opinion OF human nature, she thinks
it necessary to hint that she has it in her
power to repay any kindness that may be
shown her. Never mind the legacy, Fay
Just make the old girl comfortable if you
can, even though it does entail little self
denial remember you have pleasures of
which she knows nothing. Come, look up,
little woman Why, its three weeks yet
before she will reach us.
And then Tom hustled off to the city
Just as cheerfully, as if no cross, grum-
bling, fault finding exasperating old maid
en- aunt existed. or course he did not know
that Aunt Betsy had worried poor mamma
almost out of her life, and never ceased
railing and reviling because she had no
boys, but only girls-how she regularly
wrote twice year abusing papa because
he was the last Clayton of Deene, and
threatening vengeance on the three useless
little minxes who would doubtless some day
marry and hand over Deene to strangers
Nor did Tom know how furious she was
when our old house and estate were sold
after mamma's death, and the proceeds di-
vided between us children. She vowed
then never to look upon one of us again,
formally disowned us yet now here she
was coolly inviting herself to pay us Wis
it. Still, if Tom had known all this and of
every other eccentricity of Aunt Betsy, he
would have said just the same, for he is
the most easy, good natured fellow in the
world but he forgot that it was | who
would have to stay at home all day and
hpar the bruut pf the old labN's had fam
per.
II believe I'm getting bad tempered my
self, said, suddenly rousing myself from
my reverie, Its very kind of my hus-
band not to object to my relative coming to
pay me visit and, if she does leave us
few hundred, why, so much the better
though, thank goodness, we don't need
them, and | certainly shan't go out of my
way to conciliate her for the sake of her
money Martha and Ellen may do that /;
they were always greater favorites. was
the third disappointment, and | believe she
never forgave me for not being boy"
When Tom came home that evening, he
seemed to have forgotten all about Aunt
Betsy, and was very much absorbed in
some subject that kept him silent all through
dinner. Though we had been married on
ly four months, | understood my husbands
ways and the expression of his face thor
oughly. Whenever he had that far-away
look in his eyes, knew he was thinking,
and always took care not TO disturb him.
When he held the door open for me after
dinner, noticed that he looked pale and
tired, and pressed him TO come soon and
have some tea. He nodded without an
swering, and | left him with a strange un-
easy feeling that something had happened
But when he joined me half an hour later
he was as bright and CHEEKY as usual, and
| soon forgot my uneasiness and Miss Bet