Middletown transcript., 1891-02-19

came in for all my relatives fortune
four years age. May they both be
happy ever after. But my poor aunt
must have had yearning for me still
in her hard old heart, for before her
death Git was some time in Autumn)
she wrote me strange letter. 1t was
to this effect:
Dear Henry-You know | was
always woman ofmy word, so it will
be no surprise to you to learn that |
have left my fortune to your cousin
Richard. But hearing that your wife
is pretty young woman, and WE'LL
behaved Chat is feather in your cap,
Maude, isn't it y ] send you my
forgiveness. And you will receive
further plum pudding, prepared BY
my own hands, which | desire you
will have served up at your own table
on New Years day whenever you
feel in your heart that you likewise
freely forgive the memory Of your
aunt. AGATHA UPCHER.
"P. S.-The doctors tell me may
get better Of my illness. But they
are all idiots or towards, for ! shall
not. A. v.
And she was right, poor old lady,
for she died one week later. The
curious thing was, that in her will she
said: L have already given my
diamond necklace to Henry Upcher,
my dear nephew, who will receive It
safe1y, I trust, some future day."
That is all. And though Margaret
Mrs. Colston, I mean-has hunted for
that necklace everywhere, though she
has consulted detectives and taken
every trouble, besides writing us the
kindest of letters, the necklace was
nowhere to be found after my aunt s
death. It is clean gone, vanished.
No one seems to blame. The dia-
monds we're usually kept at the bank,
and my aunt herself took them away.
a few days before her death. " Stol-
en-, . remarked Thorold, dryly. And
no doubt broken up before your vener-
able relative was even buried. But
how does it come that you have wait
ed four years to feast on this legacy Z"
" It has gone through such vicissi.
tudes "-Maude was eagerly begin
ming, though in a faltering tone.
With stern truthfulness I interrupted
her wifely and 8omanly attempt to
glaze the ugly truth. " Because |
am ashamed to say that, till tonight,
1 never could bring myself to fully
and freely forgive my aunt Agg. The
first New Year I was still sore, after
having been cut out of my promised
fortune. The second one, this little
woman here was i'll, because l had
not been able to afford a change up
to the hills for both of us, and she
gallantly refused to leave me. The
third one-what did happen that
third New Year, Maude ?"
The plum pudding could not be
found," cried Maude, laughing. 6 II
turned up at last inside bonnet box.
where it was making itself useful as
stand for my best hat. Oh, the
strangest adventures of that pudding.
It had travelled all over India with us
in its tin case, and once If was really
almost lost for five months when we
left Agra; and it was packed away no
one knew where, because little Jim
was i'll, and my hands were full with
him. Then. when our bungalow at
Simla took fire, it must have got some
cooking. AMI once, crossing a river,
Some Of our baggage was upset, and
the poor pudding was all but washed
down stream. Luckily one Of our
servants knew I had sentimental
fondness for that tin case Git had al
ways seemed to me such curious
idea of the old lady's that her pnd-
ding should be sign of mutual good"
| wild, SO he diyed and brought it back
with some trouble" "You gave him
more rupees than even his greed ex--
pected." No matter, I was glad, too
not to lose my legacy" said l cheer
ily. All! here it comes. Look a.
the flames, Jim, lookv' " Boo boxes,
calculated my son and heir, clapping
bis soft hands and chuckling with de-
light.
It was a fine pudding, and it wa
placed before me, rich and dark amid
it's leaping blue flames, I somewhat
] solemnly uttered, before giving th'
first cut, " Now, here is to my Aunl
Agatha s memory, in all peace ane
goodwill" "Amen, promptly mur
INJURED Maude in echo, smiling
Hello r came in an exclamation o
perplexity as, digging deep in to the
toothsome dainty, something hard and
metallic resisted my. efforts. " What
-on-earth is in the middle Of this
pudding
fork, urged on by the wondering
curiosity Of US all, out I brought pres
ently small tin case from the heart
of the plum pudding. It was tiec
round with narrow red ribbon, which
was fastene d in a dozen places BY
great bobs of sealing-wax, impressed
with the full Upcher coat OF arms
/" Oh, Harry, what can it be?' B.
;ouo boro ;s a surprise p choruse(
Thorold and Maude in astonishment
rising and loo king eagerly. " Here
hi! Get me something to open this
quick! l hurriedly ordered in tn
native vernacular Of my butler
Anything from a hammer to I
hatc6et." (For a wild idea had dart
ed across my brain). It was done
In thirty seconds the tin case J, wa
open, and with fingers fairly tlnglnl
with anxiety and delight | drew fortl
a roll of cotton and wool and tlssu
paper, and unwrapped-the dlamon' n,
necklace Yes, | was right. Their
it lay, first in my hands, then CLEAN,
ing round Maud's dear throat IN al
its old brilliancy. lam, as | SAID
the happiest woman in India to
,;.kt - che or;ad half LAUGHING. hal