The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-09-16
MY ODD
UNCLE
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

Ny uncle's life had been blighted by
an i'll assorted marriage. In every 9th
er respect he was to be envied or
would have been had it not been for
his marriage. He was prosperous in
business affairs and accumulated a
fortune. But no children were born to
him during the brief period of his mar
riage, and after his separation from
his wife he eve entered upon a sec
ond matrimonial adventure.
l was his only male relative, and
after hesitating for some time between
leaving his property in trust for Il
philanthropic work and leaving it to
me he finally came to the conclusion to
allow it to accumulate through my life
time, l to establish the foundation that
he intended. But this plan was con !
tingent on my agreeing not to marry.
His proposition to me, If accepted.
would give me every comfort and lux
ury SO long as I lived, but would de-
prive me of wife and children. | did
not agree with my uncle on the sub
ject Of matrimony because l knew that.
though a splendid man, he must be a
very hard man to get on with. He
seemed to be fond of me, and if |
wanted anything I had only to ask him
for it. Yet 1 dared not oppose him in
any Of his %prejudices. The difference
between me and the wife from whom
he separated was that I understood
him and had the tact to manage him,
while she failed in both these respects.
My aunt was much younger than my
~uncle-she was but little my senior
and, being conscious Of her inability
to get on with him, came to rely on me
to help her manage him when a dead
lock came between them. I was born
old and given to acting upon i'm
; pulse, while she was sensitive and had
no faculty for going around a stone
wall instead of over it.
, Ny uncle's proposition-which ignor-
: ed my aunt-placed me in the position
of taking what belonged rightfully to
her. In making my decision I was In
fuenced far more by what was my
duty to her than to carry out my I'M
cle's intentions.
i oSSCpLCu tAC SOANALASAS II my oA
T Gle made his will, leaving his property
r in trust to me, I to have so much Of
the income as I chose to appropriate to
myself, but in consideration Of this l
Il gave my word to him that | would
- never marry, and the will stipulated
' that in case / did marry the property
was to pass out Of my hands and the
foundation was to be established, IN.
a der this condition it would be practi'
cally impossible for me to marry, one
l. of the reasons being that l would be
obliged to drop from a%fiuence to pov
h erty, u very unpleasant fall.
Before acceding to my uncle's wishes
"a l asked my aunt If she would disap
prove of my doing So, and she told m
that since she could not benefit by he
I'd husbands property she preferred tina
e. I should do so. However, before &C
III cepting the proposition I made bold t
10. tell him plainly that his separatio
h from his wife. was principally his ow
fault and that he was doing her
great injustice to leave her propert..
or, rather, lis income, to me instead {
to her. I expected that this would a
lc- ter his determination, but was surprise
it. that 1t had no effect whatever to det'
w him from his purpose. Indeed It SCENE
to confirm him in it.
l did not promise not to turn ov'
" a part Of the income from his e
ID tate 20 his wife. Ny privilege to do
IRE would have satisfied me with the pos
in ton I assumed had it not been that
was pledged to celibacy. Moreove
there was q woman whom ] wished
~ marry. When the papers had bee
signed I informed my uncle OF this fac
si- though l did not tell him who that W
man was. He merely said, "You shou
in thank me, my boy, for saving you fro
his a life Of misery"
as Upon the completion Of the agre
ats ment my uncle gave me the position
wv his right hand man that ] might
prepared to manage bis estate aft
his death. He was certainly a vel
Ao- queer man, and no one could tell VIII
he would do. Two years after o
compact he was taken suddenly l
He called for me and said:
0Ta ""VO OSSA IOAN W "J WYNN ~
I have but a few days at most TO liz
The approach of death has made
change in my feelings. 1t is a part
Ear a plan I have made that y
his should marry"
ur- l looked at him in astonishmel
'op. When I had recovered from my 81
boo prise I said to him:
icle "tf I marry there u but one won,
In the world I will make my wife"
~ "You will marry the woman l 1
tend You shall marry or l will make
new will, leaving you out In the cold
He was very weak, and I knew the
was no time to waste.
Whom do you require that ! sh'
marry?" I asked.
'sThe woman whose life I have ma
miserable"
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