The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-09-09
Very Long
Lived
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

MHhnuy, sulu Hti aunt ahis
Quackenbos, II don't see any reaso
why you and Dan Perkins shouldn
be married at once instead O. waltz
for me to cit out o. the way and-an
leave you what ! got. tell you WIN
I'll do. I'm an old woman and no
likely to live the year out. DR.. Bald
win says there isn't a sound organ Il
my shriveled old body. II you ant
Dan are certain you're goin' to get m,
property you'll feel more like gettin
married than If you're not A bird Il
the hand is worth two In the bush.
I'll leave you property worth $40,
900 on condition that you take care o
me for the few months have to live
You bind yourselves to give me $50t
year. The money Is invested ut that
so you'll not be out cent, and when
I'm buried you'll have the whole
thing"
Den had salary OF 1920 year,
but with nothing laid up he had de-
clined to marry Miranda, who had
nothing, until he should make some ac-
cumulation. This offer of the aunt
gave him courage, aud the pair. hay-
Ing taken over the property and signed
a bond to pay Mrs. Quackenbos $500
year so long as she lived, were mar
ried. A part OF the estate was the
dwelling In which the old woman lived.
Being too large for her, she moved out
to spend the rest of her days with
sister, and the bridal couple moved In.
Now, this was an excellent arrange
ment. 1t gave the young couple con-
fidence they would not otherwise have
felt. But they were prevented from
making any use OF the property until
It was unencumbered by the annuity.
Dan was disposed to refrain from en-
croaching upon the estate, but Miriam
da needed this and needed that, and
when her husband objected she would
say that her aunt was getting worse
every day and surely couldn't live the
month .out. Then Dan would yield,
and the desired articles would be
bought.
But the old lady didn't die. After
lying supposedly at the point OF death
for a long while she suddenly got out
of bed and seemed more clipper than
ever. Indeed, she announced that she
was disinclined to nope and was go
ing to start chicken farm. This she
did In a small way, and the interest
she took in it improved her health
amazingly.
Meanwhile Mr.. and Mrs. Perkins
were having hard time to get on.
The Quackenbos property gave them
no income and had been an induce
ment to spend money that did not |
come in. as had been expected. Chill |
dren came to them, and 1t seemed the
more children and the older and more
experienced they grew the more vigor-
ous the old lady became. or course
they could not object to her remaining
alive, but she spoke to them on the
subject thus:
Reckon You two think I'm goin' to
live forever. 1t amt my fault /
1on't want to hang on any longer. I'm
ready to so any time. After all, 1t
won't do you any harm. You're econ
omizin' at time when you ought TO
and you'll reap the benefit
IF It all after I'm gone"
Then the couple would look at each
,ther and sigh. knowing that their
lebts had already nearly eaten up the
whole expected property.
The old lady hung on till the Per-
tins' debt exactly balanced the s10,- a
100 they had taken In exchange for the G
Innuity. Then she died. They paid {
he funeral expenses S300-which left c
hem in debt by that amount. L
Considering how unfortunate they !
ad been in the old lady's living 30
ong, they behaved very well. Indeed,
hey did not blame her. They blamed
hemselves for having drawn upon the /,
roperty before they possessed IL. m
hey not only refrained from accus-
~ Miss ousckenbos from designedly
raving them into a trap, but spoke
indy of her both in the domestic cir P
e and 20 others.
Having buried the old lady, they put
be property they had taken from her
J the market 10 sell 20 pay their debts. p
hen one day they went TO her quar-. n
rs 10 remove to their house the few \,
slongings she bad left. Among these T,
-ticles they brought away a tin a,
'x Il was locked. and they did not n
I'D the key. but since there seemed 81
be something IN II Dan pricd II OF
zen. Within they found a bundle OF pi
lperS and pass books. Miranda open b
one Of the books and found that IL nj
owed a credit At a savings hank Of y
$3.50 Then she opened another. and y
showed q credit 81 s2.T421s A third -
ore than doubled these two together. o.
Dan unfolded a document. which Y
ored 20 be q deed n n dwelling and =
other 20 q business block. All this -
opertr was IN Miss Quackenbos' A
me The Perkins couple began TO N
On their eyes. The Old lady had evil n
utly possessed more rroperty than NJ
2 Nd conveyed 70 them. Bot who N
4 Inherited what these vouchers
"a foft a.
rhey began % empty the bor IN ~
,rch fgr q VII Pass books. deeis. ~
~ stpck and bonds we're q
.ted out nDa strewea the Hsor. Then =
rHBds. running orer the fnd0rse-