Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-03-26

u
sion. As you cross the hall, en- route
for the morning-room, you see two or
three small page-boys, with very flushed
faces, and a couple of walters, talking
and laughing in manner which argues
neither sobriety nor intelligence. Of
course, beyond the domestics, there is
not soul in the club. 1t is just pos
sible that as you sit down to your din
ner Mr.. MacGrowler, who has quarrelled
with his wife, and who is not tolerated
by his family, takes the table at the
farthest end of the room. Tepid soup,
| iced fish, lukewarm entree fuddled
servants shrieks ST wild laughter from
the subterranean regions of the still
room and kitchens; fires allowed to go
out sulkiness discomfort generally
that is what dinner at the club on
| Christmas Day means.
However, / survived the ordeal. 1t
was two or three days after the new
year had come in that / had letter
from my respected uncle Gridling, dated
from what he was pleased to call his
country house in the Surrey hills, some
twenty-five miles from Cheapside. Its
contents formed an agreeable oasis amid
the desert of, to speak euphemistically,
| business communications, which lay
two or three deep on my table. Why
had / not come to him? Would 1 not
come? Did 1 forget that / was his
nearest relative? Surely this was not
the season at which uncle and nephew
should keep apart from each other. /
/ had been foolish, but then had been
young. The errors of youth were par
donable, if they were not confirmed.
And he had heard with much satisfac-
ton of the manly efforts / had made to
put myself right. That was all he
wanted. Nothing could be better than
the accounts which had reached him
from Mr.. - CHS solicitor) of my eff
forts at retrenchment and reform. For
himself, each Christmas as it passed
caused him sensibly to feel the fact that
he was not so young as he had been.
This was the kind of letter, and pleas
ant surprise it was, as you may imagine.
To cut long story short, the epistle
wound up with request that would
come to Fairfield as soon as could.
He (my uncle) was alone, and was anx-
ious to see me before the Christmas
season had altogether passed away. On
the morning of the 9th of January, the
day which had fixed to arrive at Fair
field, / received doucument of an ex-
ceedingly disagreeable character. 1t
intimated that unless certain sum of
Els 9s. SD. were paid by noon that day
the law must take its course, and nay
person must satisfy a claim for which
my purse was unequal. Messrs. Moss
& Mofuz, of Jermyn street, were
l knew, men of their word, but was in
too good spirits to think much of the
threat. Besides, before the shades of
evening fell l knew l should be twenty
five miles removed from their clutch,
and in position not impossibly of COM
parative solvency. As / got into the
train at Charing Cross, certainly did
observe an exceedingly suspicious-look-
ing individual, who had watched me get
out of the cab, bestow upon me glance
which seemed to indicate that he took
personal interest In my physiognomy
and my welfare. But l thought no
more of the circumstance, and as l sat
down to lunch at Fairfield, exactly two
hours after I had left my own cham
bers, felt fairly master of the situa-
/" Cordially and affection character.
lied my reception by my uncle. And
as the day wore on, there was, found,
something more than his manner with
which had reason to be pleased. The
only other guest was Mr.. -, his So
licitor, of whose friendship and good
services l was assured Mr.. Gridling
fond of his siesta after lunch, and Mr..
- and myself took stroll.
"As your uncle's professional adj
wiser, Mr.. Kennedy, am not at liberty
to be explicit to you; but this 1 may
say, that there is at least reason why /
should congratulate yosl. 1t is more
agreeable to me than you may suppose
to be able to inform you that the i'm
preston which once existed In his mind
as regards your habits and tastes has
been effectuallv dissipated. As an
earnest of his intentions 1 should not
wonder If you were to find on your
dressing-table this evening something
that may not be unacceptable as New
Years present. There is one thing /
would warn you. That at the present
moment there may be claims upon you,
to an amount III excess of what you can
conveniently liquidate, 1 am well aware.
think it viii be imprudent, however,
to insist too much upon this in any con-
versation which you may have with your
uncle. Your best plan will be on my
return to London to call on me in
Grays Inn, and will see what can be
done. 1t would be thousand pities
that your chances-and I tell you, Mr..
Kennedy, they are bright ones-with
your uncle should be injured, possibly
lost, in consequence of any financial
effects of which the causes are no longer
in existence. Mr.. Gridling has the
idea that you have touched terra frnaa.
am not acquainted sufficiently with
your affairs to feel it my duty, or in
deed within my power, to inform him
other wise.
If Mr.. = had not been lawyer,
he ought to have been Jesuit. A
pleasant surprise on my dressing table;
my chances more than bright Ger
tainly my star was in the ascendant;
and as for Moss Il Mofuz they might go
hang. Why. should probably be able
to settle their claim myself tomorrow.