, 1890-11-20
..rhoro,. another y said welman,

Welman; ayou seem to have mace
the running all round. Mrs. itoo-
blnson will be particularly glad 10
cha the Curreys! 1 heard nc,
saving to Mrs. Jones she wonueIeu
how Mrs. Braginton could ihVite
such girls to her ball"
INV dear Jack" said MIR, Mnnew
with n still longer face, 81 don't at
all want to offend Mrs Robinson,
and | don't want to go to the BOAT
with Miss Currey. What am 10
do?n
"Can't say. Drown yourself or
have some lobster before starting
to keep up your spirits. Any more
letters?n
"Only one from the governor"
ais the old man friendly
"Seyere rathcr--paternal reminder
of the shortness of life, as instanced
by the death of an elderly relative at
the aye of ninety-seven." -,
"Who was your dead rclativeW
General George Mahew; retired,
cracked, distant cousin; lots OF mon.
ey, cuts with his family. shall |
write TO the Curreys and say l won't
take themp
"When Is the funeral?' -,
saturday next. Dash IL all, old
man! don't call 1t that; We'll make
1t lively somehow :,
"rhe funeral, my gentle ass! !
mean the funeral-your deceased
cousin's?"
"I'm not going to it; never saw
the old fool; besides, 1t is on Satur'
day." .,,,,,
If you really want to cut this picnic,
write your regrets all round: sud
den mourning and duty to your
family He must have been rather
swell in his way once, ana your
name us nourncr at his funeral
will be in the papers to show IL was
IA genuine business" -,
"It's away down in the country" u"
"All the better. lfirs anywhere
near my people, run over ana nave
half-a-day's fishing"
"Are your people all at homeP'
"If you mean Maggie by all my
people, she's there; aud If you djn' t
take care, shell hear of your picnic
and the Currey girl. She knows
Blanche Smythe."
Later on that day, Mr.. Mahew
duly regretted that the sudden
death of his relative, General
Mathew, and the necessity, etc,
caused the inevitable postponement
of his proposed picnic. He had IL
engraved on black-edged cards, aud
the printer sentin l5O-he uses them
for book-markers still.
1t was u very fine morning on
Saturday when Mr.. Mathew started
by very early train, and the river
looked so lovely he almost regretted
his picnic. A carriage was at the sta
tion to meet him, us he had written
to say he was coming, and AS no one
else turned up, he found himself
figuring rs chief mourner. His
Cousins elderly attorney came to
him in the garden rs he was smok-
ing a cigar. after the funeral.
~ have found an envelope" he
said, "labeled Will aud l think,
as you are going away, had better
open 1t In yonr presence.
~ suppose you had, said Frank
Mathew, carelessly; "irs n pity no
other relatives are present. Where
are they all?"
"Well, you see, said the attorney,
"they never came near the general
of late years, except when an uncle
of yours came down to make in
vcstigations whether the general
had married his housekeeper, a Mrs.
Jenkins by name. She died few
years ago, and latterly they seem to
have made some advances toward
him. He would have nothing to
say to them; but had some circulars
| printed of a more or less abusive
character insinuating that they had
designe on his fortune, and sent
them to every one whom he could
discover who was In any way re-
lated to him. | wonder you did
not get one.n
mot worth it, guess-if he ever
heard of me, )" said Frank Mahew;
"open that envelope, though, l
want to get away"
The attorney opened 1t and read
the contents of half u sheet of note
paper.
81 must congratulate you, Mr..
MahewW he exclaimed; "i must
congratulate you! This is, indeed,
the fitting reward of your ahec-
tionate reverence for the deceased
testator."
whats that?" said Frank. He
| ''" s'SN'' p'c"ihG NJ u
bumble-bee and had not quite heard.
'Is that the will? Short and sweet,
Is 1t not? Who drew it?"
~ did not, certainly" said the
attorney, with u ruelul eye.
80 should imagine" said Frank
to himself, holding it at arms
length; 'Its his own writing by the
signature, witnessed by the cook
and the gardener"
"But read it, my dear sirr said
the attorney; ''read itp'
ITS so very badly written, I don't
"My dear sir, allow me-" and the
old gentleman took the paper.
1.-The last will of MIR. George Mathew.
| leave everything have to be divide d
between those OF my relations who have
the decency to attend my funeral -
Signed etc.
"That means about ego, 900 for
you, Mr.. Mathew, besides this
house."
Welman always said that his
friend had no sense of decency, and
he would have thought his opinion
con tirmed If he had seen hin, then
seize the gray-haired old solicitor
| hA ~