New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-25

mendation from Uncle Ted that his friend
should be asked to dinner.
Among the nursema aids in the park, no
less than among his brothers dOmestics
and tradespe0ple, Mr.. Edward Letter was
innOcently discovering some "highly gifted
maid," or some ''fine nature" that de-
manded not only devotion Of his morning
hours, during which he would sit in speech.
less or eloquent admiration of the "mind'
| or some mature" in question, usually to
the embarrassment Of its owner. and VI
some policeman or lifeguardsman near at
hand: but. fortunately, too often demanded
also homage in the shape Of silver thin BILE,
brooch or ribbon. pilfered from the toilet
tahle of one OF Uncle Teds nieces.
When the family went out of town. Cucle
| Ted was left behind. To carry such a dis
! grace among the fresh scenes and servants,
was. of course. out OF the question; yet the
alternative was a serious one. In fact, Ii
generally happened that. from the moment
| OF the family's return to the moment OF ita
| departing again, fresh revelations were con-
| stantly being made concerning Uncle Ted'e
peculiar modes Of passing this interval Of
| separation from his relatives.
At first when the doctor. on opening one
after another of Ills favorite books, found
| himsel possessed of strong Inclination 20
! sneeze. and traced this strange effect to lie
cause-nameiy. few grains Of brown pow
| der sullying nearly every page.-he con
Guided that Uncle Ted had been devotins
| his time exclusively to study during the
tamily's absence. Sundry old volumes beip 9
missing from their places, and uudiscovers'
bic anywhere else, Cncis Ted's bedroom
and iayorite little retreats would be search
I ed.
As to the volumes themselves. the search
would be in vain, but would result in the
finding of the my sterious little tickets bear.
| ing mention of missing books and their
| whereabouts, and not of these alone, but
bearing mention also of other little trifing
| articles and their whereabouts. Perhaps
1 the whole amount winch the exchange of the
! things mentioned in the tickets themselves
had brought Uncle Ted would not be more
than ten or twelve shillings. But the most
alarming thought to the family was not.
! after al. the way by which the money had
| been obtained. but the way il which it had
! been spent.
Who could tell for what purpose 1t had
! gone. Perhaps in woOing to be Mrs.
! Edward Letter, Mrs. Woods, the tObaccOn.
! ist, widow with six children, and person
! for whom Uncle Ted had confessed feel.
! ing of of no common friendship. through her
! likeness to certain Lady Emily, his first
| love; or perhaps it had purchased be.
I trothal gift for Mrs. Webfoe, the char.
| woman. whom the master of the house was
! his sister-ln-law.
! 1t can not be supposed that the discovery
! of these tickets could be passed over as
easily as Uncle Ted's other eccentricities.
A sense of unavoidable but useless duty
| compelled the doctor to summon his brother
| to his study, and endeavOr to awaken in
him some feeling of shame and penitence.
but when, IN obedience to his stern com.
nand, the tall form appeared, there was
still so much of the old nobility about it
that the doctor felt himself almost over.
come with shame at the accusation he had
to bring against him, and his voice would
tremble, az, pointing to the tickets on the
table, he would say:
'Well, Edward, 80 it has como to this.
has it, again e
Uncle Ted, though seated in an attitude
as digniied as his brother. would gaze on
the tickets with the expression of child
being chidden for broken toy. and wonder.
ing timidly whether the fact of its being
rendered useless ought not to be considered
sufficient punishment. without further in.
reference.
Sometimes when tho doctors words were
more than usually stern and rousine, when
strongly, like the wind from the mountain
heights. to this poor fallen human eagle.
he was stirred, would rutsie his feathers.
and struggle to soar to where he had fallen
from. His brother. pausing for want Of
breath. would gaze upon him with some hope,
as he saw the thin figure draw itself sud.
denly up, as if stung, the long hand trem.
bling and hurriedly strokirg the long chin.
the fine blue eyes kindling to something like
horror as they rested on the tickets: but the
very next instant. catching sight of his
brothers relenting eye, Uncle Ted would
forget everything but the fact that he was
about to be forgiven 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 affectation
of remorse in his eye during the :est OF the
lecture.
When it was over. and the doctor looked
after his retreating form, trying to cover it's
relief by greater show of intirmity than
usual, he sighed to think how useless it
seemed even to point out TO him better
state. since it was 80 impossible for him to
reach it. Not only had fate so cast him
down. but he had taken all by which he
might ever hope to rise-had clipped the
never grow again. The poor eagle might
ru.t!e its feathers and struggle. but never
soar.
1t did continue to struggle at times. even
while its decadence went on 60 rapidly.
when. while reading his paper. the house.
maid. in her anxiety to hear of more
eligible situation, so far forgot herself as to
lay her black-leaded fingers on his shoulder;
or when in the heat of political discussion
the tootman addressed him by an oppro.
bously familiar name. or when the cook.
after the failure OF repeated hints az to the |
kitchen fire being needed for other purposes
than toasting the sole Of his slipper by, |
dropped the poker accidentally on his foot: |
on snch occasions Uncle Ted was seen to |
change from bis normal state.
The haltstactled, meditative look would !
come suddenly into his eyes, the long hand
begin stroking the chin with quick. agitated !
its retreat from the kitchen with dignity |
that accorded but ludicrously with the set |
Of the ragged and patched Indian dressing
grown. which had something of the char.
acteg OF the garments worn by monkeys on
barrel organs.
These attemps at flights were very rare.
and OF brief duration. Before his friends
in the kitchen Lad enjoyed his absence a
quarter of an hour, Uncle Ted would prob
ably be again among them. assisting the
offending housemaid to shell peas, helping
John to spell out love letter from the
country, or bowing at the cooks elbow with
lis newly filled snuff box, and the request
Madame, obleege me. l have desired
Mrs. Woods to put in little more rappee
han Scotch, OF purpose TO suit your taste.
| on will Obleege me?'
The gravy or sauce of such dav usually
'eemed to suggest that cook had not
purned the prayer. though it might have
she had not sufficiently recov.
red her temper to utter her accustomed
nagnanimous reply of: "Certainly. Mr..
edward, SIR" while her huge thumb and
niger filled his tiny box which he held
oward her, perfectly concealing his dis.
nay. not only at SO much of its contents