Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-03


Of this country. and vice, poverty and disease
shores. Rrxr R.cuy
AUNT TABITHA's LEGACIEs.
How She Disposed of Them While Yet in the
Land Of the Living.
A UNIT TABITHA BoBBNs HAD ALWAYS
"A said tina. she didn't approve of the con-
ventional method Of giving legacies
my dear" she used TO say to one intimate
friend or another, 81 can assure you that will
never give people an opportunity to fight for
my little possessions after am dead In nine
cases out Of ten when anybody dies there is
more or less Of a struggle among the surviving
relatives for whatever personal belongings NAV
be left behind to be divided up. And mas
much rs the claimant with the least delicacy
OF feeling makes the first grab, the consequence
usually is that whatever is best falls into the
hands Of the individual whom the defunct
would least have cared to benefit NV obscr-
walton has been that in such q case there is al
ways grabber at hand to gobble things, and
the others are obliged to be content with what
ever may be left In my own family there is q
woman who has always made q business of
grabbing in this fashion whenever q relation
gave up the ghost. On such occasions she has
made 1t rule to be first on the scene assisting
with the last ceremonies and incidentally
gathering In whatever was most valuable. As
result she now owns practically all Of the
jewelry and old silverware that has come down
through the inheritance Of generations of our
kinsfolk."
Aunt Tabithas plan for preventing such a
thing from happening in her own case was a
very simple one.
when my time comes to die" she was ac-
customed to remark, 81 propose to arrange
things in sensible manner beforehand, unless
preparation impossible"
Precisely what method she intended to adopt
for accomplishing this end nobody was told
but the nature of it was recently revealed.
About month ago Miss Bobbins fell ill She
did not take kindly to being sick having ALWAYS
been an unusually healthy woman. To her
physician she said Indignantly: Here 1 have
lived for more than seventy years with hardly a
sick day that can remember, and to be taken
down IN this way seems to me too bad New
ertheless her lndispositon progressed so alarm
ingly that at length the conviction forced itself
upon her that she was on her death bed So
she summoned all her relatives, and after de-
llvering to them short lecture on the brevitv
OF life and the vanity Of human efforts after
happiness, she proceeded to divide her personal
belongings among them.
I'm this way" she said, "there can be no
dispute among you as to who shall have what.
My nephew George can have nv silver tea
pot, sugar bowl and milk jug. They are coin,
not sterling. To my niece Eliza l give nv
hand-painted tea cups and eleven silver tea
spoons. One OF the teaspoons was lost some
time ago, and l have always suspected that
hussy named Jones who was nv maid last
winter OF appropriating il. To my cousin
William bequeath my portrait Of my dear
father, which is a most admirable likeness and
accurate in every particular even to the wart
nm, hIa IL
are as good as new except for one tail on the
cape, which a nasty dog chewed off, l give to
my cousin Maria. Ny cap with the violet rib
bons and real lace my niece Belinda can have
l advise her to begin wearing it at once and to
give up pretending to be twenty years younger
than she looks
Following out this plan Aunt Tabitha gave
away all her personal possessions of value, in
slsting at the same time that the recipients of
the gifts should carry them away with them. In
response to protests more or less perfunctory
she declared with some asperity that she had
right to have her wishes obeyed when she was
on her deathbed at all events. She did not pro-
pose to have any squabbling over her things
after her demise. This was her notion of maxi
ing a will and being sure that it was fulfilled.
There was nothing to do but to acquiesce. and
the heirs finally took their departure with their
newly acquired property.
Now, all this would have been entirely salts
factory if whatwas expected had come to pass
But. much to her own astonishment. Miss Bob
bins suddenly began to convalesce, and a fort
night ago she was out Of bed and on the high
road to recovery. Her physician said that she
could have tea. So she wrote to her nephew:
my dear George: Kindly return my silver
tea pot, sugar bowl and milk jug at once. 1
have decided to stay in this wickedest Of all
possible worlds little longer. Your affection
ate aunt, TAp1rHA"
To her niece she wrote by the same mail:
-
bearer my teacups and teaspoons Now that L
am going to get well shall need them again
Immediately. Your affectionate aunt,
"TABIrHA"
George promptly sent the articles required. |
but Eliza responded with a rather formal note,
saying:
dearest Aunt Tabitha: am sorry not to be |
able to obey your wishes in relation to the tea
cups and teaspoons which you gave to me- |
They we're a free gift on your part to myself |
and do not feel inclined to relinquish what |
must always be to me SO agreeable q memento |
of you. Your affectionate niece,
The rage Of Aunt Tabitha on receiving this |
note nearly occasioned q relapse. At the same |
time it prepared her to a certain extent for |
other experiences of similar nature. Niece |
Belinda promptly returned the cap with violet |
ribbons and real lace, declaring with emphasis |
that she had no use for it, but Cousin Maria |
to answer the application for the |
sable cape and muff. Though Cousin William |
sent back the portrait which had fallen to his |
lot several other articles Of furniture and ap- |
parel were retained gently yet firmly by those |
to whom they had been given. Some Of these |
were very essential to the everyday comfort of |
Miss Bobbins. Taking everything together she |
did not get back quite two-thirds Of the prop |
erty she had SO thoughtfully bestowed. Her |
rage has not yet abated-
MY dear" said she to an intimate friend |
Yesterday, Il give you my word that on the |
next occasion when 1 find myself on my death |
bed, after making perfectly sure that nv case |
is hopeless, l will have all Of my personal pos |
sessions carefully burned before my eyes"