want to have a little talk with you first, aunt," said Jack, drawing the only other chair in the room in front of Mrs. Mack and sitting down on it. "You're my only relation, and we ought to have an understanding. Why, you can't live more than a year or two – at your age."
"What do you mean?" said Mrs. Mack angrily. "I'm good for ten years. I'm only seventy-seven."
"You're living on borrowed time, Aunt Jane, you know that yourself. You've lived seven years beyond the regular term, and you can't live much longer."
"Go away! Go away!" said the terrified old woman, really alarmed at her nephew's prediction. "I don't want to have anything to do with you."
"Don't forget that I'm your heir."
"I can leave my money as I please – not that I've got much to leave."
"You mean you'll make a will? Well, go ahead and do it. There was a man I know made a will and he died the next day."
This shot struck home, for the old woman really had a superstitious dread of making a will.
"You're a terrible man!" she moaned. "You scare me."
"Come, aunt, be reasonable. You can leave part of your money away from me if you like, but I want you to help me now. I'm hard up. Do you see this nickel?" and he drew one from his vest pocket.
"Yes."
"Well, it's all the money I've got. Why, I haven't eaten anything to-day, and I have no money to pay for a bed."
"I – I haven't any supper for you."
"I don't want any here. I wouldn't care to board with you, Aunt Jane. Why, I should soon become a bag of bones like yourself. I don't believe you've got five cents' worth of provisions in the room."
"There's half a loaf of bread in the closet."
"Let me take a look at it."
He strode to the closet and opened the door. On a shelf he saw half a loaf of bread, dry and stale. He took it in his hand, laughing.
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