Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1941-09-19
.&,,I Sd Qupesu By cHkIs44t 4fA! II

details were tingling to be uttered
but with stern discipline she waited.
Peter Lord said thoughtfully:
"She's dead" He stood for moment
thinking, then he said sharply: "Get
me some boiling water"
Nurse O'Brien was surprised and
mystified, but true to the spirit of
hospital training, hers not to reason
why. If doctor had told her to go
and get the skin of an alligator she
would have murmured automatically,
eyes, Doctor" and glided obediently
from the room to tackle the problem.
Roderick Welman said: "Do you
mean to say that my aunt died intes-
tate-that she never made will at
all?"
Mr.. Seddon polished his eyeglasses.
He said: "That seems to be the case"
Roddy said: "But how extraordi-
nary!"
Mr.. Seddon gave deprecating
cough. "Not so extraordinary as you
might imagine. 1t happens oftener
than you would think. There's kind
Of superstition about it. People will
think they've got plenty of time. The
mere fact of making will seems to
bring the possibility of death nearer
to them. Very odd-but there it isl"
Roddy said: Didn't you ever-er
-exposulate with her on the sub
ject?"
Mr.. Seddon replied dryly: Gre
quently."
"And what did she say?"
Mr.. Seddon sighed. "The usual
things. That there was plenty of time!
That she didn't intend to die just yet!
That she hadn't made up her mind
definitely, exactly how she wished to
dispose of her money!"
Elinor said: "But surely, after her
first stroke-?"
Mr.. Seddon shook his head. ooh,
no, it was worse then. She wouldn't
hear the subject mentioned"
Roddy said: Surely that's very
odd?"
Mr.. Seddon said again: ooh, no.
Naturally, her illness made her much
more nervous"
Elinor said in puzzled voice, "But
she wanted to die :"
Polishing his eyeglasses, Mr.. Sed-
don said: "Ah, my dear Miss Elinor,
the human mind is a very curious
piece of mechanism. Mrs. Welman
may have thought she wanted to die;
but side by side with that feeling
there ran the hope that she would re-
cover absolutely. And because of that
hope, I think she felt that to make a
will would be unlucky. It isn't so
much that she didn't mean to make
one, as that she was eternally putting
it off.
"You know" went on Mr.. Seddon,
suddenly addressing Roddy in an al
most personal manner, chow one puts
off and avoids thing that is dis
tasteful-that you don't want to
face?"
Roddy flushed. He muttered: eyes,
II-yes, of course. I know what
you mean."
Exactly" said Mr.. Seddon. "Mrs.
Welman always meant to make will,
but tomorrow was always better
day to make it than today! She kept
telling herself that there was plenty
of time."
Elinor said slowly: $50 that's why
she was so upset last highland in
such panic that you should be sent
for :"
Mr.. Seddon replied: "Undoubt-
edlyw
Roddy said in bewildered voice:
"But what happens now?"
"To Mrs. Welman's estate?" The
lawyer coughed. "Since Mrs. We'll
man died intestate, all her property
goes to her next of kin-that is, to
Miss Elinor Carlisle"
Elinor said slowly: GAIL to me?"
"The crown takes a certain per-
centage," Mr.. Seddon explained. He
went into details. He ended: "There
are no settlements or trusts. Mrs.
.Welman's money was hers absolutely
to do with as she chose. It passes,
therefore, straight to Miss Carlisle.
Er-the death duties, I am afraid,
will be somewhat heavy, but even
after their payment the fortune will
still be a considerable one, and it is
very we'll invested in sound gilt-edged
securities"