The evening times., 1895-08-28

But as her husband now made a point of
spending less time at his club and more at
home In her society, she couldn't help
becoming .keconcled to her loss So as
the lonely feeling gradually wore off and
the young couple got used to the new order
of things, jack Hadley congratulated him.
self as having done the right thing at last.
Some three months later, when Jack
was returning from business one day, he
was met by his wife, whose toar-dimmed
eyes told of something amiss
Il have sad news" She said, with q
great cob. My mother has been taken
suddenly i'll ard is Cead,''
| Jack at once set about assuagiug his
wife, grief When she had sufficiently re-
covered she impaired another bit of news,
far more important, from his Point of view
They tell me she died well-worth
$40, 600"
Twenty thousand dollars!'' echoed Jack,
in amazemeut. We'll, I'm blessedl Who'd
have thought it? Why. didn't think she
! was worth 20 COO eentsl''
Nor t. added his wife.
Twenty thousand doIlarsi" repeated
Jack. ''And you're the only child, aren't
you, PoIy?"
Yes"
''Do you know he went on. after q
pause Il don't much like taat drawing
room carpet Of ours, do you?"
1T is faded said his wife, listlessly
Yes, we want new ore badly, and
better These curtains are not up to date,
either. And there's the dining-room set
1t looks quite shabby. Don't You think sou
Rather dingy."
There was little pause, and then the
hopeful Jack broke out again:
II was passing Streeter's the other day
and-what do you think saw Poll?
"A silver service?" half-smiling in Fpits
of her grief.
mo, guess again"
Some bauble for me to wear, 1 suppose,
you crazy old jack
"A lovely diamond pin"
II said you were deniented."
but 1t was only 500 and would suit you
admirably"
II dare say, Jack, but one must spend a
lot of money in order 30 dress up TO such
trinket as that"
well, a pretty silk gown, and there you
are, Polly"
"You might also add bang, goes an
other hundred for silk dress
(which isn't terrible amount And how
much prettiera pretty woman would looks so
trigsed out, eh:" coaxingly.
You make me laugh, Jack. and you
know I ought not to-"
And you ought not tC'grieve, either.
Death waits us all-and it'shouid not be un-
welcone-to the old. Now don't you fret
about your mother, dear, aud take care that
all the funeral arrangements are done de.
Gently and in order. l will never have it
rest on my head that the dear old creature
wasn't comfortably carried to the grave.
And Polly's the only child"
The last sentence wasn't intended for the
ears OF his wife, but Polly heard it, and again
she smiled.
When the funeral was over Jack Hadley
found himself one of a very small company
gathered in a little room, the most con.
spicuous object in which was a fussy lawyer
seated at table with two open documents
spread out before him.
This" said the man of law, coming at
once TO business and holding up one of the
papers, lis the last will and testament Of
Sarah Haslop, deceased. 1t bears date
April 8, 1851"
"A week before she left u.s." murmured
Jack, under his breath
lawyer:
I hereby give and bequeath to my SON.
in-law, John Hadley, and my daughter,
Marianne, his wife, the sum of $50 900,
with power to use and employ the same
for their mutual benefit
1.-THE dear oldsoul!" "ecstatically exclaimed
Jack.
Only by a innate sense of proprety was
80
ceiling in boyish glee.
And this" said the representative Of
red tape, taking up document No. e, lis
codicil executed exactly fourteen days
afterward-''
"A week after she left our housel' gasped
Jack.
ut is not of very great length, and runs
as follows:
Il hereby cancel and revoke all former
wills, whensoever and waeresoever made,
and substitute therefor this, the final ex-
preston of my intentions. Tony daughter,
Marianne Hadley, bequoath the sum Of
500 to enable her to buy suitable mourn
ing to wear TINY decease; to my son-in-law,
John Hadley her husband, in consideration
of his kinduess in turning me out of his
house at O time when / had thoughts Of
leaving on my own account, make a pres
sent Of one shilling. The whole Of the
residue Of my property l beQueath to the
trustees of the hospital of this, my native
town, TO form a fund to te applied to the
special care Of afflicted mothers-in-laws.
''The spiteful old cat!' growled Jack,
under his breath. May she"
He checked himself and, taking his hat
walked honeward, sadder
and a wiser man.
Years have passed siHce then and Jack
Hadiey among other things, has developed
an inveterate and irremediablc taciturnity,
but II anyone wishes to draw him out foD
the uonce 1t Is only necessary to mention the
subject of mothers-in-law in general and
his own in particular. Magazines