The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-01-17
MISCELLANY.
UNCLE oBBD's VISIT.


ful stretch of imagination for Mrs An.bers
guests to have fancied themselves hmld
the hight and fragrance of some lropic
isle on that lestal night. The stately bal
ustrades were wreathed with dccply-tlnted
blossoms, the air was freighted with the
perfume of heliotrope and tuberose, and
the chandeliers that hung from the fres-
coed ceiling like coronals Of quivcrng fire,
threw MONDAY brlliance over the crowd.
AT the further end Of the superb draw
ing-room stood Mrs, Amber hcrself-a
stately matrUn in sapphire velvet, ilumi-
mated by the pale glimmcr of pearls No
one would ever have imagined from the
smiling self-posscs>ion of her manner that
this night was the crisis of her lite.
Through all the hum aud murmur of
the rislocratic asscmblagc--through all
the crash Of arriving carriages, and the
stormy melody of the band beyond, Mrs
Amber's quick ear caught one low, hest
tatng step on the threshold 1t was her
husbands. She bcckoncd to him with
her jeweled fan, and whispered in scarce
ly audible accents
"Wel ?"
".J&st as | expected. We are ruined.
cant keep above water a week Norris
his failed and we shall follow suit :"
"A week." murmurcd Mrs. Amber
thoughtiulIy, "a week." One can ac-
compli,h good deal IN week "ITave
you noticed how attentive Young Gold
is to Cecilia p she added musingly.
''He wont be after
'llush t. Mrs Amber exclaimed. with
a quick glance around, as ii apprehensve
that the very walls would hear their
whispered coloquy. "lt she wins rich
husband before the world learns of your
distress, we shall be tolerably safe. For
your own sake keep cheerful Glce; min
gle with our guest--tlirow off that per-
turbed flown. ! tell you all will yet be
right
Mr. Amber shrugged his shoulders and
whislled half a bar OF some popular strain
then turned away to obey his wife's be-
hests to the best of his ability, while Mrs
Amber, her smooth lips all wreathed in
dulcet smiles, resumed the task of receiv-
ing her gay friends
suddenly there was a sort of thrill and
litter through the apartment-the crowd
opened as if to make way for somebody.
and Mrs. Amber came forward expecting
to greet some distinguished arrival
Good evening, Tidy. | kalkilated
you'd all be gone TO bed. at this time
o.nigh', but see you don't keep New
Hampshire habits. Ilan't forgotten me,
have you! Why, I'm your Unce Obed
Jenkens.
Mrs. Amber turned pale through all
her artificial bloom at the unC Xpected ad-
dltlon TO her company that stood before
her, lis honest features beaming with
delight. it was a ruddy.iaced old man,
in suit of butternut-colordd cloth, carry
! in one hand neatly-tied handkerchief,
containing hlS wardrobe, and in the other
Il crooked walking stick, full of knots and
gnarIs-such stick as grows only in dense
swamps, where the young saplings have
to twist their little arms in every direction
to get lit of sunshine, and grow up in
the most unheard of shapes.
81 declare,' pursued Uncle Obcd,
'yon're fine as fiddle, Tildy-and where
Is them little gals you sent up summer
before last to get red checks at their
unclc's Grown up to young ladies'
well, if / amt beaten"
And Uncle Obed extended bony hand
TO Miss Cecilia, who drew back and put
up @od-mounted eye glass with an air
OF well. bred aslonishment
II never heard that ANYTHING allied Ce-
cilly's eyesight, Tidy" said Uncle Obed
in extreme perplexily. "And that young
tcller in the yellar waiscoat is her beau
suppose WALL young folks will be
! young folks. and we old ones hadn't ought
TO interfere. That's what | always said
when Jim Amber used TO walk in the old
side-hilI orchard, after you'd done the
milking"
This unlucky allu,ion hrimmed the al
ready overtlowinC veins of Mrs Ambers
wrath-she drew her glovcd hand from
the old mans cordial grasp, with an encr-
ey which puzzled him, spoke with CON:
pressed lips:
81 am really sorry, sir, that we were
not previously made aware that you pro-
| posed honoring us with visit In that
case we would have prepared ourselves
for the pleasure; now, regret 10 say, it
/ will he inconvcnlent to receive YOU q
"What !' calculated The asionished old
man, who wa, uncertain whether or not
he had heard Alright the words of his only
mece-the girl whom he had brought up
and cared for when others rejected the
charge of the pennless orphan.
Mrs Amber repeated the irigid sentence
with that emphasis which only a heart
less woman of the world angive.
This is a big house, Tidy" said the
old man, in slightly iremulous accents,
"and | should ha' Thought there was
corner in it big enough tor Uncle Obed.
l wasn't calculating TO stay long-not
over a week at the farhest but RI 90
home tomorrow the very first train that
leaves, if I'm in the way"
Mrs. Amber made no answer but tan
| ped lightly on her mosaic bracelet with
one slender finger, and Uncle Obed turned
away with moisture in his eyes that made
curious rings of mist around the glaring
jets OF fnme in the chandelier.
Uncle Obed was wishing himself well