Scrooge's Heirs

[Halsten Aastebol]

At 07:08 10.05.01 -0700, Rob Klein wrote:

>In 1949 "Race to the South Seas" Barks defines that relationship as
>follows:  Uncle Scrooge is "Gladstone's Mother's Brother's Brother-in-Law".
>   That is not even a distant BLOOD relationship.  That is a very distant
>relationship by marriage.

Well, a "mother's brother's brother-in-law" could be the brother of the 
wife of your mother's brother. In this case there is no blood relationship. 
But the gag goes further than that, because this brother-in-law could also 
be the husband of the sister of your mother's brother. Now, the sister of 
your mother's brother could of course be your mother. This is like saying 
that Scrooge is Gladstone's father!! Which of course is ridiculous! Or it 
might refer to the husband of another sister. Then Scrooge would be 
Gladstone's uncle-in-law. Again no blood relationship.

But let it be no doubt! It is the first interpretation (the connection that 
cannot be simplified) that has to be the "correct" one!

Halsten