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now 215 Boston Post Road. For several years
it had the highest valuation of any house in town. But Uncle Ned was not
long for this world. He died of consumption a short time after the
house was finished.
I can remember going to wonderful parties that his widow,
Aunt Adelaide, gave for her nephews and nieces. We had lots of ice cream
and spun sugar, macaroons, and ladies fingers. By now, the original
house had been altered and enlarged, which Aunt Adelaide was able to do
thanks to Uncle Charlie Fiske's astute-ness in handling the Fiske
property.
Uncle Ned and Aunt Adelaide had two children, Cousin Ned and
Cousin Susie. Cousin Ned's wife died of complications from
a miscarriage only a few months after they were married and he never
fully recovered from the shock; Cousin Susie lived and
died an old maid. It was well known in my family that my
father was to inherit the bulk of Cousin Ned's estate, and I can recall
several occasions when they had a difference of opinion
and Cousin Ned threatened to change his will. This would re-
quire lots of diplomacy on my father's part, especially when
the differences were great, but he always managed to smooth things
over to Cousin Ned's satisfaction.
UNCLE GEORGE
Great Uncle George, or 'Guzzy' as he was called by his
relatives, was one of the younger members of the family. He was very fat and
very homely, but he loved a good time and became a great
favorite with his nephews and nieces of my father's generation. One of his
intereting stunts was diving into the
water with the live end of a cigar in his mouth and rising to the |