Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-02-26
His EXCG|enCy Ny Cousin
A Story Of a Man Who Received q
Legacy.
BY Koloman Mikszath.
Copyright, 1900, by Errtn Wdrdman.

| SSTSCTCSTEySEC<SS,.
A rich and distinguished relative is
by no means an unmiXed blessing.
When wrote my name in the matricrl-
laton book at the university, the rector
raised his eyebrows and said:
"Ah! A relative Of his eXcellency, l
suppose"
YES"
"And yet you wish to take advan-
tage of the free scholarships"
1T is necessary, unfortunately-for
the present at least"
Thus | began under unfavorable
auspices. had all the notoriety at
taching to distinguished connection
with none of its advantages, for | was
poor as Il church mouse. My comrades
pointed me out to their friends, saying;
Hes old Tcleky's cousin, you know.
He'll have pile when the old boy pegs
out"
This sort of thing worried me. There
was one compensation, however. My
name and presumptive wealth procur-
ed me the favor of young ladies and
their mammas, and for several seasons
| basked in the smiles of beauty.
My whole family, with all it's branch
es-thcre must have been a score of
persons all told-had. like myself, been
waiting for the future dead mans
barefoot. My cousin in the beginning
had been nearly as poor as the rest
He owed his advancement and his
wealth to his rare political abilities
He had been a professional politician
all his life. Now he was called a
statesman.
He gave evidence of his talent in
boyhood. The neighbors' boys used to
rob his fathers orchard. One day my
cousin armed himself with knife and
a big medicine bottle with a poison
label He went to the orchard, where
in full view of some of the suspected
pilfercrs, he made small incisions in a
number of the most tempting apples
and poured a few drops from the bot
tie into each incision. Some of the
boys asked him what he was doing.
He responded that whoever ate those
apples wouldn't care for apples there
after. Thcnceforth the apples remain
ed Undisturbed.
The bulk of his wealth came to him
through Il lucky chance while he was
private secretary to n certain high
functionary.
A rich banker applied to the official
for concession, backing his applica'
ton with arguments OF the most
weighty and convincing character
But the law, unfortunately, stipulat
ed that the holder of the concession
must be a Hungarian, which the bank.
er was not.
at can be arranged" said the dis.
penscr of patronage. "You have a
daughter, | believer"
eyes"
"Well, all you have to do is to marry
her to a Hungarian as soon as posi-
BILE. Then you can take the concession
| In her name-that is. in her husbands
At that moment my cousin entered.
Here is the man for you," said his
chief. "My secretary is Hungarian
of good family and amenable to reason
| Teleky. allow me to present you to
YOUR future fathcr-in-law."
| The banker looked at the handsome
young Hungarian. and the bargain was
struck, the lady iltelposing no objec-
! ton.
We never proftcd one silver by my
Cousins greatness In late years In
| deed he had shown the greatest ami
mostly toward the whole family. Some
| of the affiliated branches who were
poorer and prouder than the Telel:ys
| themselves murmurcd loudly, and il
was their complaints, the Tclekys III
sisted. that had hardened the great
mans heart. On the other hand. these
relatives insisted that it was all oul
fault. and so a family dissenson was
ndded to our other notifications.
But in Hungary everything can DC
converted into cash-cvcn expectations
We had no legal claim on our cousin
estate, but we found plenty of Insurers
willing to take long chances.
This was carried on to such an ex
tent that the wit Of the family said he
hoped "the old man" would never die
as things were. going on most com
fortably as they were, and when the
crash should come it would take tht
assets Of a Rothschild to meet the out
standing liabilities.
The old man did die, however. while
I was still at the university. He was
i'll for long time, and the newspapers
were full Of reports regarding him.
They said, among other things, that
Stood Death Off.
| Il II Nnudov a LAWYER of Henrietta