The Portland daily press., 1869-07-31
seIected story.
MY VERY ODD UNCLE.
From Chambers Journal.l

Tharn1 n1aart Iour nal
l' A
roa on ,,to ,.as allowed TO be
tho orsatost Ho odd,tu in Sbornshire. which Is
oood V Soai As ,aras heard from the
49, eS s.ss;l, be oot on like other peo-
~ =, ~ .,a1 -,the most accurate said
po ~ tI, hao;ynn;ng III his tyentv-sixtb vearl
,Jp,en a,,er Having been duly ariicled to the
,a,oet em,inant soicitor in our comfy town
nloo, .,o,,;,a tbronol, his seven .veaTs Sx;tho,t
,,,;schance nassinr his examination rasnect1 :
nhI~ ond ohfanine his cert;f;cataN he aa1",oJ
80 nartnarshin with Mase,s Go.so., ~
Gos,iTr tho hairs o,d s,,ocas" Neniuoh ~. aiu
tar =, f5e law ard .ho',oS. % nis mas
~ he most nro-n;s;no A., Dy al enae"syuly
did nnsiness iocathar Sor % aho,t s;n osnese .ney
the oraat vii; cssn ~ .h Sh. sDouo @ PIX at Inonsns
was the storm, th.t sb;,enlp,o,sa5 yeu ,,,e,n and
,yhan ,,,a ,,,,ai., .noi iaaI- ae
onoJ @ uns,e ouplty III was solnenom IGnS is;''d .
tbesa NOS " De y; au ~ Iross man
90 nosn,liS pooui@i ~ n,' oi,ra1s of
a,Iiet sans;Iia tnrn or;,,ind and money. TOD.
qno.' .u,n IL. - and ,lilan;da,
va mddn,, h,sna roa' 'pat '''i'o' a''e' o''
wha-o,,er tr,ora was a decayed COTTAGE
ts1s ,nin.,d harm a tnmbled down tenement
i. - ha cot 10 toLo ~ b,,,, 1aJ
tnas nooouy coa.u S D 1;,'o !, " ~ oey slauo
S ~ s,,yo 70 he baard ~
''aopJ, ~ ao,,,ad ~ ~ ,,,.oIssaS ~ lun.eu NY up
nlo'. anu SaSD TS,,;. VI ol S ~ nicnard
t;sa qs,;, pe,ns Tue styie auu
Snoo,s s,.S oe t,;s;,soss 10y leia.Ne. ror tnat
.l. =, no Sase up lne manage
.',;ro,', po;o, pa isa, anais, MS t'lhe being
eho'eS chsnea 11Iupaeu WIN ms Iakings ana pur-
,s,-s - .I,ep a,tel way ~ spn1ary ou,-
Soyt;,, soys " ;nese iu'neu uwenngs, i9ckins u
Hal, -, a. 4 any % haf ;re5 mai
~ Pa,f .n' a.;-I'oi n4,o,i. ~
odI-o.t;sa5 ~ I'll ',;J iii, az ,,s,,al
S1o,,,sh a1,o,,1 oomron;a,t o,,d
80 as.g haS s',,,d,n f;arca o,arraIsp ,s;ti,
i;o1, ,sa.ad l.J;as az, ,,n+le,,,a,, ,,.,.
,hsu sed elvert;se,oents ,sd hro,al ipa
t,s fnr .,c.t,%
ant conid ba GOT at anv rent md ~ ssD
fhe I'D yyon,an T., t,,o S..is ~
ninced to anoinds fbey, ,',, 49, .ouu VI
b;mselfhv nay;nr rnn,,ds -, ,;s;.s Iynsoisu :.,n'
scatterad nessaasors he ,vss =, ~, =,
ali waathera soma.in,oe ~, s,ot 81 so,,,at;,,,as -
nm horse haclr bnt alrvavs carryin, ieat
hag which be had gnay,,eJ ,,;ti ea,a .s
ieaons as ,bouoh t5ev were tl,a tit;e dsaIs
nfa manor - ~ ~ e "es so'
As ihis necnliar taste hec.oe l,,or, %
auctioneersi honse agents anJ al, ,ub'' M ~
unsalable and nnle7ahla bniIdinas ", - i4a;r
hands. his transac.ions increased and bis 4.
nances diminished. OF course thev were al
GREAT NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. chean aid sI,ra 10
enrich him some day: hut Ills means were
dribbIed away on those Improbable estates
without the smallest return; for, il he sue
ceeded in getting some misguided man. or
more frequently widow or maiden lady, in
a moment OF weakness. to become his tenant
the lawsuit which Invariably arose at the and
of the first quarter OF occupation more than
swallowed up his gains. and he had oenarallv
a bonus to nav to the retirinr enen,v',---
Nv uncle id not fall in love or t.l-,. -
betting, or go to the bad like other vo,,ns
men; the old houses were sweetheart enter,
tainmant, and sensafion ~ hin, ~ No.
commonly believed that the more ont.of the.
way and out-of-the-world thew were. tbe hct-
ter he liked them and the sfandino grief ri
his DAYS was that he could not raise money
enough 10 bid for an almost l,uinaa mansion
which nohodv had inbahired tnr r,oro tbon
ftty wears becanse II stoo,l in a marsh,s toi-
low al the foot OF a rocky 'aill5 ana Nd ~.
pr1te on account ot milniohf vis;, ora n, Ma
borrowed rom ali his trends bv tbis tima iii,
none O. them goad lend him any more: he
way At tae end OF ,ls means an1 lie .ois+;o-s
W re at their wis end fo Know w,at ~ do
with him. We. the isamshorns had heen ot,
ways eenteel bur not an ,ndenendenf 7tam-
iIv-tllat is TO sav every rne ~ 1Is I,sss Jo'5a
sornslhine for I,is iivins. q u WIS, ~, rysbio
Richard contriyed TO oet ont q, his;,sss ny = r arS
out OF pocket in his affection fnr ancient ,yaIS
his relations had 10 take hin, n, Is,,,d as 49,
ri digials are; commonly dealt wifi. firss
III nal. Il hitr,
nsfsic,,lar aftentons a. he PAU niln
and BROUGHT twf, nh vs;ciare in tbs tSctsa> =,
house agents to examine him sr,,rant5
hu5 the Iunar oih bad no inf,,e,,oa ri liz KS
house hunting. and the medicine mon co,,id
detect no crack in his upper story Then >shas
wanted him to emiqrate but M pncla R;cyy
ard had too considerable stake IN n,
and retlsed to leave his property. He con-
Sc ted however ~ Give m bn,;,,. o,d In
ing. and returned 10 business @DN
With the beIp O. his friends and re)ativas
he cot into another leoal Va %
went nm steadily I'm, so,ne t;,,so 49,, anu
Mariners work Jolio.
as soon as little money cot INFO HE &c., Sr
another great barsain was heard Of and s;1,s'
in less than two wears be was in bot n,rsnit
OF the old houses again. OF course. tbev led
him to some coal. and he was hronoI,t bacE
from the husks once more hui Svbsfs need IN
tel1 OF his relarses and restora fions tbao yvere
numerous as those bronoht about h,v tbo o,ors
or The amin AZ r-ss =
Inv ofio1nc ousas ~ %, ',s Ssnea vtlt q
the debtors nrson his roo,,s;too ,.,ors non
out Of n II,s ,sLa a;J ~ele .aken
to tne custom of families o,do,pIod p1u
straving sheen III bsd n sa,,sa,s "i.n sucu
biltv. lonoer or shorter as aooa os
tended him or FINDS bold "a Seu .,t lot'une az
tine examnIe nor tha rroanb;,, 1a pu' Mgitne5
kin co,IId yvaar TTnoie 1is A.'n any
the .ola housas-, - A'''naius neart rom
- A serious friend of orrs oo,,o, H..
dispensation of fhe Ramshorrs. 49,, 'no .'aIuh uaiA
some dispensation he was aDd ssraod ,rouDie- eu
use Of terror to our ris;ng aau srsosu aTr
whom grew up remarkably ~ nrndent fh,onob ~m !,
the dread Of his examnIa pr,s pu1ls lnlougn
lures of iudcions fr;e1ds ihIReJ Rais Y lne lec-
eldest nephew, took eafy to saving yeds and baS n
done wonders at II hatorc .,as t.a nau
and got nv first cIerlsbin with Cb.ar a. ~
Uncle Richard was reclpoed an old eIm 'hacb - ~
by that time. and the onIv conrmad D'0ne'oI srsoi
men of the single nrofesso,, s,;.h;,, si,ecs @
ders. eycent Cans;p as0" Grsca "''um our DOT
In what decree of cons;nshi, sho s.
all or any of nssI never cinaiI,, guy seovo 5p
but Miss Grace as Wa S,essry ta anaersI9ou' "a
our n =" JuuloIs naa 70 can nef,
rights, priyletses .nd n,;ties IN sih sns
TO that tit,e Sc uayer toId har ao
roScv ajse evsr SnI "a rad I'm s e - ~ anu
An tha vioS b,,t .. ~ a. am slent
verv yo,,ng and never conld taHa 81 hes,, ws nv, NJ
nosed bandsome hv any sfretch ~ pSen tba Sap
nation Forfane had been o,,;te a. nicasrd-
Jv oS ra,,,ro y, hor oae - 40