OCR Text |
Show - - . Aun Au U UU Ubby's g i .ILL ILL U . bby's bbys bby'sBy gy ' S SD By ByD bby'sf I f IBy D . J . WALSH 1 II 1run WALSHII IIa run a a I : Copyr Copyright-WNU Copyright WNU ht-WNU ht WNU - - Service ( "PUT PUT " BUT 'BUT ' Mazie MazIc remarked BertHoward BertHoward Bert Howard to his pretty littlewife httJe little httJelfe littlewife \\lfe lfe wife \ \ it isn t quite fair ( air that AuntTibby Aunt AuntTIbby AuntTibby TIbby should shouldJnt want \\Jnt Jnt \ : to come backso back backso backso so soon it s less than three weekssince weeks weekssmce weekssince smce since she left and she had beenhere been beenhere beenhere here six sic months I have no ob obJectIons objections objections JectIons to your aunt she s a mce nice mceold niceold niceold old lady If i a bit eccentric eecentnc but butyou butyou butyou you always work so hard enter entertammg entertaming entertaming tammg taming her that youear you \ wear \\ear ear yourself yourselfout yourselfout yourselfout out Between worrying worrymg over her hercomfort hercomfort hercomfort comfort and fussing fussmg about the thesafety thesafety thesafety safety of that old cowhide trunkhome trunk trunkhome trunkhome home becomes a place of tormentfor torment tormentfor tormentfor for me instead mstead of a haven of rest restAnd restAnd restAnd And then Mazie whose bobbedcrown bobbed bobbedcrown bobbedcrown crown of glory was decidedly of ofthe ofthe ofthe the shade beloved by Titian and andwith andwith andwith with a temper to correspond correspondrephed correspondreplied correspondreplied rephed replied thus If you were proper properly properly properly ly interested mterested in m the welfare of ofyour ofyour ofyour your family you dwant d want to keep keepAunt keepAunt keepAunt Aunt Tibby here all the time ! Do Doyou Doyou Doyou you fancy that she herself wouJd would wouJdbe wouldbe wouldbe be so particular about that oldcowhide old oldcowhIde oldcowhide cowhIde trunk as you are pleasedto pleased to call it if it didn dldn t contain con tam valuables7 valu vale valuabIes valeables abIes ables ? ' She told toldmeno me me-no me no - no I won tsay t tsay tsay say she exactly told me but she shegave shegave shegave gave me to understand and I Iknow Iknow Iknow know all the family have the same sameImpreSsIOnthat sameimpressionthat sameimpression ImpreSsIOn-that ImpreSsIOn that - that in m it she carnes carries carnesher carriesher carriesher her stocksand stocks and bonds She has hasbequeathed hasbequeathed hasbequeathed bequeathed the trunk to the one onem onein onein m in whose home she happens to todie todie todie todieMazie1 die dieMazIc dieMazie Mazie1 MazIc Mazie ' ) exclaimed .elalmed elalmed ehclaimed e > . Bert putting put puttmg putting tmg ting his arms around his wifewaiting w wife wifewaiting e ewaltmg waltmg waiting for dead men s shoesis shoes IS sorry business busmess ' Do what youcan you youcan youcan can for your aunt without makmg making makmgyour makingyour makingyour your family unhap unhappy y but put all allsuch allsuch allsuch such ideas as you ve ye just lust men toned t oned out of mind mmd they are un unworthy unworthy unworthy stoppedto worthy of you ' and Bert stopped to kiss his wife good by byThe byThe byThe The first evening evenmg of Aunt Tibby Tlb Tib Tlbby Tibby by s arrival arnval Mazie began Barbara Bar Barbaral Barbarn baral barn ! do sit still stili ! You 11 II make makeAunt makeAunt makeAunt Aunt Tibby nervous or John John'don Johndon ' ' don t walk so heavy I ! IAunt Aunt Tibby had been with them themseveral themseveral everal several < ; weeks when she came camedown camedown camedown down with a cold The doctor called calledpronounccd calledpronounced calledpronounced pronounccd pronounced the trouble pneumo pneumoma pneumoma pneumoma ma Which at her age saidhe said saidhe saidhe he ( Aunt Tibby wa- wa wa86) wa - . 86) 86 ) ' . is aserious a asenous aserious senous serious matter You had betterget better betterget betterget get a nurse Aunt Tibby had beenso been beenso beenso so humored by her niece mece however howev er , thdt that the nurse could do httJe little httJeto littleto littleto to toquit quit ' mt U1t her and Mazie was obligedto obhgedto obhged obliged to fetch and carry to run up and anddown anddown anddown down stairs until ten days later laterAunt laterAunt Aunt Tibby sank into mto her last lastsleep lastsleep lastsleep lastsleepAfter sleep sleepAfter After the funeral the relatIVes relatIVeswho relativeswho relativeswho who had gathered from far andnear and andnear andnear near demanded that the will beread be beread beread read at once So the old cowhidetrunk cowhide cowhidetrunk cowhidetrunk trunk was brought down to theliving the thehvmg theliving hvmg living room andopened and opened in an the thepresence thepresence thepresence presence of all It contained contamed Un Unell Uncl Unel ell cl " > ' David s army uniform umform a few fewbooks fewbooks fewbooks books half a dozen packages of ofold ofold oJold old newspapers-and newspapers and newspapers - and a long let letter letter letter ter written by Aunt Tibby herself herselfThis herselfThis herselfThis This was addressed to her rela relatIves relatives relalives tIves in general and was a sort of ofconfessIOn ofconfession oiconfession confessIOn In it she stated thaiher that thather thather her income mcome since Uncle David s sdeath sdeath death had b b"en ben br'en bren " ' en limited hmlted to a pens pen s on of $6 6 $ a month That in someway some someay someway \\ay ay way \ the story had been circulated circulatedthat circulatedthat circulatedthat that this old trunk contained valu valuabies valuables valuables abies ables and she had never contra dieted it fearing fcarmg if of she told thetruth the thetruth thetruth truth some one might put her inan m in man inan an old ladies ladles home an institution mstltu institu mstltutlon institution tlon tion she detested She trusted her herrelatives herrelatives herrelatives relatives would pardon her and andthat andthat andthat keptfor that the old trunk would be kept for her sake that it might m1ght prove provea a magic casket to the owner , Just lust Justas lustas ] ustas as it had to herThe herThe her herThe The trunk was left with Mazie Mazieas Mazieas Mazieas as she was the only person whodisplayed who whodisplayed whodisplayed displayed the least desire desue to possess pos possess posseas sess seas it After everyone had de departed de- de departed departed - - parted she threw her arms aroundher around aroundher aroundher her husband s neckand neck and criedOh criedOh cried criedOh Oh Bert can you ever forgive forgiveme forgiveme forgiveme7 me ? ' Judging Judgmg by the sigh of con contentment contentment contentment tentment she uttered Bert s an answer ansorer answer swer sorer was satIsfactoryAunt satisfactoryAunt satisfactory satisfactoryAunt Aunt Tibby was right the trunk trunkdId trunkdid trunkdid dId prove a magic casket for Ma Mazle Mazie Mazie zle zie It stood in the upstairs hallwhere hall hallwhere hallwhere where she had to pass it manytimes many manytimes manytimes times a day and vhenever henever v hen ever shewas she shewas shewas was seized with envy , stubbornness stubborn stubbornness stubbornness ness or a desire for finery shecould she shecould shecould could not afford one glance at atthe atthe atthe the old trunk was sufficient to dls dis dlspel dispet dispel pel pet such feelings feelmgs in a twinkling twmklmg |