Retro Reads: The $30,000 Bequest

The Fosters, a reasonably well-off couple living in a small town in the west, are stunned by sudden news from their only living relative. This relative promises the couple a gift of $30,000 in his will, provided the Fosters make no inquiry regarding his death and do not attend his funeral. The relative makes this promise "not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles and exasperations, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its malignant work."

Mark Twain's classic works satirize the society of his time and beyond. The Fosters are only too recognizable as they struggle to keep their eagerness under control while reading the obituaries, argue over how to spend the money, and dream up ever more ambitious plans for the riches they don't have yet. Will their marriage survive the stress? Will their sanity?

You can find The $30,000 Bequest and hundreds of other classic books in our Always Available ebook collection, part of the Greater Phoenix Digital Library. Download them to your home computer or transfer them to an EPUB-compatible reader. You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions to access the ebooks. For the Always Available books, you will need to click the Download button, then save the file to your computer (make note of its location). Open Adobe Digital Editions, then choose Library - Add item to library. The Always Available classic ebooks do not expire and do not count against your checkout limit, so you can check out as many as you want and keep them for as long as you want.
-Michelle (Sunset)