Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-05-01
NEPHEWS OF RICH AuNTS.
The Prominent Part Played by Them in
Modern English Fiction.

| The Prominent Part Played by Them in
Modern English Fiction.
Students of literature have doubtless
remarked that that part of current and
recent English fiction which appears in
newspapers and periodicals in the form
( of short stories consists largely of de-
scriptions of articles, the pains and the
ultimate fate of nephews with rich aunts
Here is typical story of this kind.
One of these nephews had a rich aunt
all whose affections were conferred on
cats. The cat who possessed those af-
fections during his lifetime died, and il
became necessary to replace him. The
aunt, accompanied by her anxious
nephew, went to a cat-dealers shop and
was much taken with an Angora, the
price for which, however. she thought
was too high. She returned home but
finally decided that she must have that
cat. She therefore charged her nephew
to purchase it and to see that it was
safely delivered at her house. The
young man repaired to the cat shop
once more, but alas. it was only to
learn that the chosen animal had died
in the meantime. But, fearing of dis
appointing his all-impor.ant relative.
he purchased the dead cat for q small
consideration, procured {. common or
back-fence member of the same family
and instructed taXiderDlist to inclose
him in the Angoras skin. This was
done, and Thomas, looking sufficiently
natural, entered into possession of the
aunt's affections. She was short-Slght-
ed, by the way. All went well for
time, but unfortunately the taXidermist
had found it necessary TO shave the
back-fence cat in order to get him into
the Angoras skin. The hair grew, and
one day while the unwilling deceiver
was drinking milk before his mistress
eve his coat burst ard he walked forth
in all his native vulgarity of attire.
The result, which is the same in most
of these stories, was that the aunt
never forgave her nephew for deceiving
her, and left all her property to re-
mote cousin.
The nephew-and-rich-au plot I'M
doubtedly figures to a painful extent in
the conventional humorous literature of
England, but such plot is, neverthe-
less, amply warranted by fact. The
writer has known many young men who
have passed their lives in humOring the
whims of rich old maiden aunts, and
some imes bachelor uncleS. Usually
they have been rewarded by the inner
itance of lands, chattleS, or money, but
sometimes they have suffered disaster,
as in the stories.
Some persons may be at a loss to find
n reason for this state of things. The
following figures, which represent the
fortunes left by EnglishwOmen during
the last year, will explain it to them.
The ladies named were almost without
exception unmarried or widowed. Mar
ried women do not leave fortunes unless
they find them before they are married
and have kept them intact. The wild
ows mentioned, too, had in most cases
lost their husbands many years ago.
Lady Ossington left 81. 0t5, 900; Lady
Ann Hayter, 81, 125. 900: Lady Willough-
by d'Eresby, Sl,O35, 900: Lady Rose,
$3.50, 900, and Lady Forster, S465, 600.
Twenty other titled women, whose
wills were admitted to probate in 1889,
bequeathed total of more than s., 2S5,
600. Among untitled women Miss Ry-
land, the heiress of the late head of a
great firm of iron-founders, left SO, 1885,,
600; Mrs. Margaret Platt (of Staley
bridge), s., O6O,O 900; Mrs Ellen Walker,
81. 12O, 900; Miss Catherine Wood, $780,
600: Mrs. John Wood, S125, 900; Miss
Sarah Ann Cawston (of Folly House,
Braintree), S545, 600; and Miss Mary
Eason, $3.50, 900. Nineteen other I'M
titled women enriched their heirs with
Sc, 055, 600.
All the ladies of title named were
widows and childless, with the eXcep-
ton of Lady Willoughby d'Eresby. Il
will be seen that of the seven untitled
teStators named four were spinsters.
From all these circumstances it is in
evitable that there must have been a
great many anxious nephcws. On the
whole it is a rather fine thing to be a
nephew in England, provided, of course,
that one does not forget the other oh.
jects of living.-N. y. Evening Sun.