The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-08
Very Long
Lived
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

why you and Dan Perkins shouldn't
be married at once instead o. waitin'
for me to git ont o. the way and-and
leave you what got. | tell you what
I'll do. I'm an old woman and not
likely to live the year out. DR.. Bald
win says there isn't a sound organ In
my shriveled old body. If you and
Dan are certain you're goin' to get my
property you'll feel more like gettin'
married than If you're not. A bird in
the hand is worth two in the bush.
I'll leave you property worth $10.-
600 on condition that you take care o
me for the few months have to live.
You bind yourselves to give me $500
year. The money is invested at that.
so you'll not be out cent, and when
I'm buried you'll have the whole
thing"
Dtu had salary of $1,000 year.
but with nothing laid up he had de-
clined to marry Miranda, who had
nothing. until he should make some ac-
cumnlation. This offer of the aunt
gave him courage, and the pair, hav-
ing taken over the property and signed
a bond to pay Mrs. Quackenbos $500 a
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
. h.. dal 10 IN
Now, this was an excellent arrange
ment. 1t gave the young couple a 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
Ca 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 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 a chicken farm. This she
did in a small way, and the interest
she took in 1t improved her health
amazingly.
Meanwhile Mr.. and Mrs. Perkins
were having a 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-
GUS the old lady became. OF course
they could not object to her remaining
alive. but she spoke to them on the
subject thus:
Reckon you two think Pm goin' to
live forever. 1t amt my fault
don't want to hang on any longer. I'm
ready to go any time. After all, II
won't do you any harm. You're econ
omizin' at time when you ought 10
economic, and you'll reap the benefit
of 1t all after I'm gone"
Then the couple would look at each
other and sigh, knowing that their
debts had already nearly eaten up the
whole expected property.
The old lady hung on till the Per
kins' debt exactly balanced the &c.,
600 they had taken in exchange for the
annuity. Then she died They paid
the funeral expenses S300-which left
them in debt by that amount
Considering how unfortunate they
had been In the old lady's living SO
long, they behaved very well. Indeed,
they did not blame her. They blamed
themselves for having drawn upon the
property before they possessed 1t.
They not only refrained from accus-
ing Miss Quackenbos from designedly
drawing them into trap, but spoke
kindly of her both in the domestic cir
Gle and to others.
Having buried the old lady, they put
the property they had taken from her
in the market to sell to pay their debts
Then one day they went to her quar-.
tiers to remove to their house the few
belongings she had left. Among these
articles they brought away a tin
box. 1t was locked, and they did not
find the key, but since there seemed
to be something In it Dan pried II
open. Within they found bundle OF
papers and pass books. Miranda open.
ed one of the books and found that II
showed credit at a savings bank OF
$93756. Then she opened another, and
1t showed a credit Of $2,742.1S. A third
more than doubled these two together.
Dan unfolded a document. which
proved to be a deed to dwelling and
another to business block All this
property was In Miss Quackenbos'
name. The Perkins couple began to
open their eyes. The old lady had evil
IDENTIFY possessed more property than
she had conveyed to them. But who
had inherited what these vouchers
stood for?
They began to empty the box in a
search for a will. Pass books. deeds,
certificates Of stock and bonds were
picked out and strewed the floor. Then
Miranda, running over the indorse-
ments on bundle Of papers. exclaimed;
Here It is. Last will and tesla.
mentT'
Unfolding the paper with trembling
hands, she cried:
ITO my beloved niece. Miran&a
Quackenbos Perkins"