Year: 1867

London Cor. of the Belfast News Letter.


A short time since, an old lady. living
IL one of the small streets leading out OF
Albany street, Regents Park, close to
what was once the Collosseuw, entered the
shop Of poulterer in the neighborhood,
and purchased a chicken. The tradesnan
was attentive to her, and the lady became
a customer, always coming to the shop and
giving her own orders. She appeared to
be very old. but had all her faculties about
her On Saturday evening she came when
the poulterer happened to be very bosy.- -
She said she wished to speak to him, aud
her asked her to walk into the little parlor
behing the store, and he would come to her
the moment he was disengaged. In the
parlor, she met the daughter of the ponl-
terer, and, after some conversation, in the
course of which she remarked that the
young lady looked i'll, and required change
of air, she produced parcel, tied up In
paper, and said, Give this to your father,
as he is busy and cannot come, and | can
not wait. / wish him to take you away for
little change, and here is something that
will enable him to do so" She placed the
parcel in the girls hand, and told her to
lock it up in cupboard to which she point
ed. The girl did So, and thought no more
of the matter; but when, some hours sub
scuuently, the shop was closed, and the
father came in to the parlor to get his sup
per, she produced the parcel, and gave the
message by which it was accompanied
The poultcrer laughed as he united IT. but
to his amazement the parcel was found to
consist of bank notes and gold to the amount
gold watch and chain. The next day he
hurried round to his customer to thank her
when she desired him to take his daughter
out Of town for few days, and on their re-
turn to inform her of their arrival. This,
of course was done. n day or two after
their return she called at the shop, and
said she wished the tradesman to come to
her house to tea. accompanied by his daugh-
ter.


As they were about to leave, after par
taking of her hospitality, she said to hun,
81 wish you particularly to call upon me to-
morrow morning, and bring with you tw"
respectable persons upon whom you, can
rely." The next morning he attended, ac-
companicd by the curate of the parish and
neighbor. The old lady then said that
she was upward of ninety years of age,
and had no relatives living but cousin, an
attorney, whe she alleged, had not treated
her we'll and by whom, she said, she had
lost e2O, 900. She added that she had
EOS, 900 in consols still left, and that as she
felt she could not live long, and was resolved
that the attorney should not get anything
belonging to her, she had asked the shop
keeper to attend with two witnesses, in Or
der that she might transfer to him, for his
own absolute use, the 925, 900 to which
she referred. She added that she knew
very we'll what she was about, and that by
giving him money while she was alive, in
stead of bequeathing to him at her death,
he would be saved the payment of legacy
duty to the extent ofs2 200. This announce
mcnt appeared to be of SO singular ma
turc, the clergyman very properly susses-
ted that solicitor should be sent for. The
man of law came accordingly, and the
transfer was duly effected The old lady $
prescntment of approaching dissolution
| proved to be correct, as she died a few
days after making this singular disposition
of her property. 1t seems that before her
| death she had intended to give the money
to chemist with whom she used to deal,
but that he had offended her by some mat
tention to her wishes The moral of this
story (thc substantial accuracy OF which
there can be no doubt whateverl Is that
civjlity costs nothing, and may sometimes
yield rich reward.