The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1866-05-19
MELTING UNCLE INGOT.

MELTING UNCLE lNGOI.
"IF ever you or yours get five pounds
out of me, madam, before l die, prom
ise you, you shall have five thousand
and am man of my word" So spoke
Mr.. Ingot Beardmore, drysalter and
common councilman of the City of Lon
don, to Dorothea Elizabeth, his widow
ed sister-in-law, who had applied to
him for pecuniary succor about three
months after the death of his younger
brother Isaac, her husband. There We're
harshness and stubborn determination
enough in his reply, but there was no
niggard cruelty. Mrs. Isaac wanted
money, it is true, but only in the sense
in which we all want it. She was only
poor in comparison with the great
wealth of this relative by marriage.
Her income was large enough for any
ordinary-Mr. Ingot said Legitimate"
purpose, but not sufficient for sending
her boy to Eton, and finishing him off
at the Universities, as it was the mater
nal wish to do. Mr.. Ingot hated such
ScHtccl lHtclltioIlo, Sbiiot lIooIlt ttli
had been fashionable enough school
for him, and he had finished OFF, as a
clerk at forty pounds year in that very
respectable house in which he was now
senior partner. With the results of that
education, as exemplifed in himself, he
was perfectly satisfied, and if his neph-
ews only turned out half as well, their
mother, he thought, might think her
self uncommonly lucky. Her family
had given themselves airs upon the oc-
casion of her marrying Isaac" allying
herself with commerce." some of them
called it-and Ingot had never forgiven
them. He gloried in his own profession,
although Government had never seen
fit to ennoble any member of it, and
perhaps all the more on that account
for he was one of those radicals who are
not "snobs" at heart, but rather aristo-
crats. He honestly believed that noble
blemen and gentlemen were the lower
orders, and those who toiled and strove
the upper crust of the human pic.
When he was told that the former classes
often toiled and strove in their own
way as much as the others, he made 6
gesture of contempt, and " blew" like
an exasperated whale. 1t was vulgar
sort of retort, of course, but so eminently
expressive that his opponent rarely pur
sued the subject.
He rather liked his sister-in-law, il
spite of her good birth, and would have
doubtless, largely assisted her had she
consented to bring up her children &C
cording to his views; but since she pre-
ferred to take her own way, he with
drew himself more and more from he
society, until they saw nothing at all o
one another. He had no intention o
leaving his money away from his broth
er's children; he had much too strong
sense of duty for that; and as for mar
riage, that was an idea that never enter
ed into his hard old head. lie had no
made fool Of himself by falling in low
in middle age, as Isaac had done III
youth he had not time for such fOllies
and it was not likely that at siXty-tiv
he should commit any such imprudencC
So his nepheWs and nieces felt contider
of being provided for in the future. l
the present, however, as time went OF
and the education of both girls and boy
grew more expensive, Mrs. Isaac's II
come became greatly Strengthened. HC
own family very much applauded tn
expensive way in which she was brin2
ing up her children, and especially he
independence of spirit in relation to he
tradesman brother-in-law but the
never assisted her with penny. Th
young gentleman at Cambridge Wa
kept upon very short allowance; an
the young ladies, whose beauty WI
something remarkable, affected whit
muslin, and wore no meretricious lev
elry. Their pin-money was very limite,
poor things, and they made their ow
clothes at home by the help of sewing
machine. If Uncle Ingot could ha,
seen them thus diligently employed h
heart would perhaps have softened toy
ard them but, as | have said, they no
never got that chance. Julia, the eide
iluu pSSh pue siA Sce'io Oiu "hSi iS h'
, last called at their highly-rented b
diminutiVe habitation in Mayfair, III
now she was eighteen, and had nev
seen him since. Although she had
course grown out of the old mans recC
lection, she remembered his iigure-hca
as she wickedly called his rigid feature
uncommonly well and, indeed, nobo,
who had ever seen it was likely to fC
get it. His countenance was not
much human rs ligneous; and his pl
file Nephew Jack had actually seen up'