FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176  
177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   >>   >|  
' I want you to witness it." Pitching his voice to organ depths, the Bishop read: "_'In the name of God, amen: I, Davy Dickey, of the County of ----, and State of Alabama, being of sound mind and retentive memory, but knowing the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death, do hereby make and ordain this--my last will and testamen--_'" Uncle Davy had lain back, his eyes closed, his hands clasped, drinking it all in. "O, Hillard--Hillard, read it agin--it makes me so happy! It does me so much good. It sounds like the first chapter of Genesis, an' Daniel Webster's reply to Hayne an' the 19th Psalm all put together." The Bishop read it again. "So happy--so happy--" sobbed Uncle Davy, in which Aunt Sally and Tilly and the coon dog joined. "_'First,'_" read on the Bishop, following closely Tilly's pretty penmanship; "_'Concerning that part of me called the soul or spirit which is immortal, I will it back again to its Maker, leaving it to Him to do as He pleases with, without asking any impertinent questions or making any fool requests.'_" The Bishop paused. "That's a good idea, Davy--Givin' it back to its Maker without asking any impert'n'ent questions." "_'Second,'_" read the Bishop, "_'I wills to be buried alongside of Dan'l Tubbs, on the Chestnut Knob, the same enclosed with a rock wall, forever set aside for me an' Dan'l and running west twenty yards to a black jack, then east to a cedar stump three rods, then south to a stake twenty yards and thence west back to me an' Dan'l. I wills the fence to be built horse high, bull strong and pig tight, so as to keep out the Widow Simmon's old brindle cow; the said cow having pestered us nigh to death in life, I don't want her to worry us back to life after death._ "_'Third. All the rest of the place except that occupied as aforesaid by me an' Dan'l, and consisting of twenty acres, more or less, I will to go to my dutiful wife, Sally Ann Dickey, providing, of course, that she do not marry again.'_" "David?" put in Aunt Sallie, promptly, wiping her eyes, "I think that last thing mout be left out." "Well, I don't kno'," said Uncle Davy--"you sho'ly ain't got no notion of marryin' agin, have you, Sally?" "No--no--" said Aunt Sallie, thoughtfully, "but there aint no tellin' what a po' widder mout have to do if pushed to the wall." "Well," sagely remarked Uncle Davy, "we'll jes' let it stan' as it is. It's like a dose of calomel for disorder of the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176  
177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Bishop
 

twenty

 

questions

 

Sallie

 

Dickey

 

Hillard

 

brindle

 

Simmon

 

pestered

 
strong

tellin

 

thoughtfully

 

notion

 

marryin

 

widder

 

calomel

 

disorder

 
pushed
 
sagely
 
remarked

consisting

 

aforesaid

 

occupied

 

dutiful

 

wiping

 

promptly

 

providing

 

requests

 
clasped
 

drinking


closed
 
testamen
 

Webster

 
Daniel
 
sounds
 
chapter
 

Genesis

 

ordain

 
County
 
depths

witness
 

Pitching

 

Alabama

 
knowing
 
uncertainty
 

certainty

 

memory

 

retentive

 

Second

 

buried