Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-15

would be searched As to the volume
themselves. the search would be in vain
but would rgssul, in the finding Of mys
, FERROUS little tickets bearing mention o
!. the missing books and their whereabouts
and no, Of these alone. bat bearing men
ton also of other little iritiing srficies snS
thar whereabouts Perhaps the Who'll,
amount which the exchange OF III,
things mentioned on the tickets them
selves had brought Uncle Ted would no
be more than ten or twelve shiilings
But the most alarming thought 10 thu
family was not. after all, the way by
which the money had been obtained
bat the wsv in which ii had been spent
Who could tell for whist purpose Il had
gone, Perhaps in wooing TO he Mrs. Ed
ward LETTER. Mrs. Woods, the tobacco
mist, a widow with six children, and 9
person for whom Uncle Ted had confessed
feeling of no common friendship,
through her likeness TO certain Lady
Emily, his first love I; or perhaps il had
purchased betrothal gift for Mrs Web
! foe, the chairwoman, whom the master OF
/ the house was ever in fear of having In
/ troduced TO him as his sisterinlaw.
1t cannot be supposed that the discov-
cry of these tickets could be passed over
as easily as Uncle Ted's other little &c
| centriciiies. A sense of unavoidable but
useless duty compelled the doctor to sum
mon his brother to his study, and en-
deavor TO awaken in him some feelings of
shame and pcnitence, but when, in
obedience to his stern command, the tall
! form appeared, there was still SO much of
the old nobility about it that the doctor
| felt himself almost overcome with shame
at the accusation he had to bring against
him, and his voice would tremble, as,
pointing TO the tickets on the table, he
| would say
"Well, Edward, so it has come to this,
has it, again ~
Uncle Ted though seated in an attitude as
dignified as his brothers, would gaze on
the tickets with the expression OF child
being chidden for broken toy, and won
dering timidly whether the fact Of its
being rendered useless ought not to be
considered sufficient punishment, without
further interference.
Sometimes when the doctors words
were more than usually stern and rous-
ing, when his eloquence over the
family honor came strongly, like
the wind from the mountain
heights, to this poor fallen human eagle,
and struggle to soar to where he had fall
en- from. His brother, pausing for want
of breath, would gaze upon him with
some hope, as he saw the thin figure draw
itself suddenly up, as il stung, the long
hand trembling and hurriedly strokng
the long chin, the fine blue eyes kindling
TO something like horror as they rested
on the tickets but the very next instant.
catching eight of MS brothers relenting
eye, Uncle Ted would forget everything
but the fact that he was about to be for
given and set free, and the doctor saw
that he had seized upon that thought with
the joyous avidity OF child, though he
still tried to keep the corners of his
mouth drawn down, and an afiectation
of remorse in his eyes during the rest of
the lecture
When it was over, and the doctor look
ed after his retreating form, trying to
cover its relief by a greater show of in
trinity than usual, he sighed to think
how useless 1t seemed even to point out
TO him better state, since it was so i'm
possible for him to reach it. Not only
had fate 50 cast him down, but had taken
away all by which he might ever hope to
risc-had clipt the wings which in this
world could surely never grow again.
The poor eagle might rufic its feathers
and struggle, but never soar.
1t did continue TO struggle mt times,
even while its dccadence went on SO rap
idly when, while reading his paper, the
houscmaid. in her anxiety to hear Of a
more eligible situation, SO far forgot her
self as to lay her black-leaded fingers on
his shoulder or when, i'm the heat of a
political discussion, the footman address
ed him by an opprobriously familiar
name; or when the cook, after the fail
urc of repeated hints as to the kitchen
fire being needed for other purposes than
toasting the sole of his slipper by, drop
ped the poker accidentally on his foot; on
such occasions Uncle Ted was seen to
change from his normal state. The half
startled, mcditative look would come sud
denly into his eyes, the long hand begin
stroking the chin, with quick, agtated
fingers, the figure draw itself up, and
make its retreat from the kitchen with a
dignity that accorded but ludicrously
with the set Of the ragged and patched
Indian dressing-gown, which had some
thing of the character of the garments
worn by monkeys on barrelorgans.
These attempts at flight were very rare,
and of brief duration. Before his friends
in the kitchen had enjoyed his absence a
quarter of an hour, Uncle Ted would
probably be again amongst them, assist
ing the offending housemaid to shell peas,
helping John to spell out u love-letter
from the country, or bowling at cooks ell
bow with his newly filed snuffbox, and
the request:
Madam, obleege me. l have desired
Mrs. Woods to put in little more rappee
than Scotch on purpose to suit your taste.
You aoM Obleege meg"
The gravy or sauce of such day usu-
ally seemed to suggest that cook had not
spurned the prayer, though it might have
happened she had not sufficiently recov-
cred her temper to utter her accustomed
magnanimous reply Of" Certingly, Mr.
Edward, sir" while her huge finger and
thumb filed his tiny box which he held
towards her, perfectly concealing his dis
may, not only at so much of its contents
being covered by the finger and thumb,
but at so much more being scattered
around in their efforts to squeeze them.
selves out of the box again without losing
a grain of what they had secured.
One day il was exceedingly desirable
that Uncle Ted should be So disposed of
as to leave no danger of his intrusion at a
little dance to take place in honor of his