3511 
 
 Fish 
 A Last Will
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 COMMODORE BYRON MCCANDLESS
 
 Hast TUtH 
 9 
 
 GJilliston

 
 A LAST WILL
 
 <a East mm 
 a 
 
 WILLISTON FISH 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 aifteu TBartlett
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY ALFRED BARTLETT 
 
 THE MERRYMOUNT PRESS, BOSTON
 
 Jf/l 
 
 A LAST WILL
 
 t was stronger and cleverer, 
 no doubt, than other men, and 
 in many broad lines of busi 
 ness he had grown rich, until 
 his wealth exceeded exagge 
 ration. One morning, in his of 
 fice, he direcled a request to 
 his confidential lawyer to 
 come to him in the afternoon 
 he intended to have his will 
 drawn. A will is a solemn 
 matter, even with men whose 
 life is given up to business, 
 and who are by habit mindful 
 of the future. After giving this 
 direction he took up no other 
 
 [ 9 ]
 
 matter, but sat at his desk 
 alone and in silence. 
 
 It was a day when summer 
 was first new. The pale leaves 
 upon the trees were starting 
 forth upon the yet unbending 
 branches. The grass in the 
 parks had a freshness in its 
 green like the freshness of the 
 blue in the sky and of the yel 
 low of the sun, a freshness 
 to make one wish that life 
 might renew its youth. The 
 clear breezes from the south 
 wantoned about, and then 
 were still, as if loath to go 
 finally away. Half idly, half 
 thoughtfully, the rich man 
 wrote upon the white paper 
 C 10 ]
 
 before him, beginning what 
 he wrote with capital letters, 
 such as he had not made since, 
 as a boy in school, he had 
 taken pride in his skill with 
 the pen: 
 
 3ln tbe jRame of <&ol), amen 
 
 CHARLES LOUNSBURY, being 
 of sound and disposing mind 
 and memory [he lingered on 
 the word memory ], do now 
 make and publish this my last 
 will and testament, in order, 
 as justly as I may, to distribute 
 my interests in the world 
 among succeeding men. 
 
 And first, that part of my 
 interests which is known a- 
 
 c 11 n
 
 mong men and recognized in 
 the sheep-bound volumes of 
 the law as my property, being 
 inconsiderable and of none 
 account, I make no account of 
 in this my will. 
 
 My right to live, it being but 
 a life estate, is not at my dis 
 posal, but, these things ex- 
 cepted, all else in the world 
 I now proceed to devise and 
 bequeath. 
 
 *5ft0ttl: And first, I give to good 
 "^fathers and mothers, but in 
 trust for their children, nev 
 ertheless, all good little words 
 of praise and all quaint pet 
 names, and I charge said pa- 
 
 C 12 3
 
 rents to use them justly, but 
 generously, as the needs of 
 their children shall require. 
 
 : I leave to children ex 
 clusively, but only for the life 
 of their childhood, all and 
 every the dandelions of the 
 fields and the daisies thereof, 
 with the right to play among 
 them freely, according to the 
 custom of children, warning 
 them at the same time against 
 the thistles. And I devise to 
 children the yellow shores of 
 creeks and the golden sands 
 beneath the waters thereof, 
 with the dragon-flies that skim 
 the surface of said waters, and 
 
 c is :
 
 the odors of the willows that 
 dip into said waters, and the 
 white clouds that float high 
 over the giant trees. 
 
 And I leave to children the 
 long, long days to be merry 
 in, in a thousand ways, and the 
 Night and the Moon and the 
 train of the Milky Way to 
 wonder at, but subje6l, nev 
 ertheless, to the rights here 
 inafter given to lovers ; and I 
 give to each child the right to 
 choose a star that shall be his, 
 and I direct that the child's 
 father shall tell him the name 
 of it, in order that the child 
 shall always remember the 
 name of that star after he has 
 
 c 14 :
 
 learned and forgotten astro 
 nomy. 
 
 : I devise to boys jointly 
 all the useful idle fields and 
 commons where ball may be 
 played, and all snow-clad hills 
 where one may coast, and all 
 streams and ponds where one 
 may skate, to have and to hold 
 the same for the period of their 
 boyhood. And all meadows, 
 with the clover blooms and 
 butterflies thereof; and all 
 woods, with their appurte 
 nances of squirrels and whir 
 ring birds and echoes and 
 strange noises ; and all distant 
 places which may be visited, 
 
 c is :
 
 together with the adventures 
 there found, I do give to said 
 boys to be theirs. And I give 
 to said boys each his own place 
 at the fireside at night, with 
 all pictures that may be seen 
 in the burning wood or coal, to 
 enjoy without let or hindrance 
 and without any incumbrance 
 of cares. 
 
 tCttt : To lovers I devise their 
 imaginary world, with what 
 ever they may need, as the 
 stars of the sky, the red, red 
 roses by the wall, the snow of 
 the hawthorn , the sweet strains 
 of music, or aught else they 
 may desire to figure to each 
 [ 16 ]
 
 other the lastingness and 
 beauty of their love. 
 
 : To young men jointly, 
 being joined in a brave, mad 
 crowd, I devise and bequeath 
 all boisterous, inspiring sports 
 of rivalry. I give to them the 
 disdain of weakness and un 
 daunted confidence in their 
 own strength. Though they 
 are rude and rough, I leave to 
 them alone the power of mak 
 ing lasting friendships and of 
 possessing companions, and to 
 them exclusively I give all 
 merry songs and brave cho 
 ruses to sing, with smooth 
 voices to troll them forth. 
 
 c 17 :
 
 tCtn : And to those who are no 
 longer children, or youths, or 
 lovers, I leave Memory, and 
 I leave to them the volumes 
 of the poems of Burns and 
 Shakespeare, and of other 
 poets, if there are others, to 
 the end that they may live the 
 old days over again freely 
 and fully, without tithe or di 
 minution ; and to those who are 
 no longer children, or youths, 
 or lovers, I leave, too, the 
 knowledge of what a rare, 
 rare world it is.
 
 This book is DUE on the last 
 date stamped below. 
 
 10M-11-50(2555)470 
 
 REMINGTON RAND - 2O
 
 Cjaylorcl === 
 
 PAMPHLET BINDER 
 
 - Syracuse, N. Y. 
 : Stockton, Calif.