The Residuary Legatee; Or, The Posthumous Jest of the Late John AustinStimson, Frederic Jesup
General
The Residuary Legatee; Or, The Posthumous Jest of the Late John Austin
Stimson, Frederic Jesup
Inheritance and succession -- Fiction
“I, John Austin, gentleman, hereby incorporate this sealed writing,
referred to in my will of even date herewith, as part of my said will.
Having provided in such my will that in the event of my said nephew,
Austin May, becoming married before he attain the age of thirty-five,
or before the period of eleven years shall have elapsed from the date
of my death, whichever shall first happen, all my property, real
and personal, except my said bin of Lafite claret, shall go to my
residuary legatee; and having observed a certain tenderness existing
between my said nephew, Austin May, and my said niece, May Austin,
I hereby nominate and create my dear niece, May Austin, as such my
residuary legatee--in the hope that as I, marrying without love, have
been unhappy, they, my said niece and nephew, marrying for love alone,
giving up all thoughts of worldly advantage, may enjoy the blessings of
this world besides.”
The paper slipped from Austin’s hands.
“To think that I have waited eleven years!” said he. And he struck his
hand against his forehead.
But May Austin looked up to him and smiled.
* * * * *
Of the Countess Polacca de Valska, Austin never heard. Terwilliger
Dehon remarried, and, for the second time, a very pretty woman; such
men always do. The Burlington Quincys have also been married; and Tom
Leigh has come to stay at Brookline for this season; and Mrs. Eastman’s
reign is ended; but Fides is an honored inmate of the Brookline house.
And if you drive by there, some summer afternoon, you will note once
more about the windows those frilled and pleated things that denote the
presence of a woman’s hand.
THE END.
BRIEF LIST OF BOOKS OF FICTION PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS,
743-745 BROADWAY, NEW YORK.
_Mary Adams._
AN HONORABLE SURRENDER. (16mo, $1.00.)
“The story belongs distinctly to the realistic school of modern
fiction. The situations are those of every day. The characters are
not in the least eccentric; the dialogue is never extravagant; the
descriptive and analytical passages are neither obtrusive nor too
prolix. The sum of all these negations is a charming book, full of a
genuine human interest.”--_The Portland Advertiser._
_William Waldorf Astor._
VALENTINO: An Historical Romance. (12mo, $1.00.)
“It is well called a romance, and no romance indeed could be more
effective than the extraordinary extract from Italian annals of the
16th Century which it preserves in such vivid colors. The incidents
are presented with dramatic art. The movement of the story never
drags.”--_The New York Tribune._
_Arlo Bates._
A WHEEL OF FIRE. (12mo, $1.00.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account