The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-03-13

destruction This, too when my conscience
acouits me Of such improper designs.
but we must bear with her little weakness,
saws nv wife. You know, Samuel, she does
not possess the blessings which we do, II
these dear children. Besides, we are hel
nearest relations, and
/ All, true, return. The old girl will Gu
up well, one of these days, no doubt, and II
the meantime we must he civil to her, l sup
pose. This is what you mean to say, m.
dear?'
i mean to say nothing Of the kind, sir, ant
YOU had ought to be ashamed of yourself
was sitting at home one evening, in {
rather melancholy mood-for had just beer
readsng a letter from our aunt, in which sh'
announced her intention of coming to see u
in day or two and making long, long Wis
it'-when there came loud ring at the street
door bell.
| started up.
That can't be her, surely | said to my
wife.
ooh, no, that is not Aunt James ring re
piled Emily. Besides. 1 did not hear any
carriage drive up to the door
Felt comforted. 1t could not very well be
Aunt Jane. No, the idea was absurd. But
you see, had just been reading her letter and
| felt nervous and easily startled.
Presently our little maid-ofall work came
I'D stairs and informed me that there was 9
gentleman below who wished to see me.
went down and saw a man standing ii
the hall. He was tall, stout, elderly man
with weather.beaten face. He was well!
dressed and displayed quantity of jewelry
about his person But his clothes fitted him
badly. lie seemed like IA man who had beer
got up to look like gentleman, but the at
tempt had failed somehow.
He advanced toward me, holding ont his
hands
Are you Sam Courcy? he SAID.
MY name is Samuel Courcy,' | replied
drawing back.
| For | disliked the tone of familiarity il
which he addressed me.
/ Then tip US your tlipper, my boy. Why
Lord love We, don't you know your Unol'
JoeY
looked at him but did not recognize him
seen HIM before. However, | heard that
had an Uncle Joe at the antipodes somewhere
whom, by the by, had always thought o
as Uncle Joseph But 1t was all right
So this was my longlost Uncle.
tipped him my fip2er' at once.
took him upstairs and introduced him Il
my wife. That dear creature, whose :mpres
sions Of people are quickly formed, did no
seem to be greatly delighted with my rela
ton And must confess that, after the en-
thusasm of the first greeting had subsidized
and cool indeed must have been the hear
of him who is not moved when he grasps the
hand of new-found uncle-I myself was dis
posed to receive him somewhat distantly
His language was coarse; and the mans
manner exhibited peculiar mixture of self
assertion and difRdence that was not prepos
sessing.
But as he warmed into confidence, and a;
he related to us the simple story of his life
and his wandcrings, our hearts turned toward
him, and we felt how base had been the pre-
judices which had caused US to be repealed
by rough and homely exterior. He had
not been in England for twenty years. Dur
ing that time he had Travelled many strange
and distant lands. He had undergone mu
merous piivalions He had been a soldier
in Mexico He had been shipwrecked or
the bleak, inhospitable shores of the Auckland
Isles, in the far South Seas. He had hunted
the wild buffalo on the boundlcss prairies o
the West He had dug for gold IN the deel
and sunless mines of Balarat. He had beer
shepherd on the lonely plains of Warnam
boolcr; and now, in his old age, he had re
turned to the land of his fathers to lay hi
bones with theirs and TO Leave his gold, tn,
fruit of long years of toll, 20 his friends ant
relations.
1t was at this point of his narrative that my
wife, who is Of very tender disposition, wa
affected to tears.
AYE, ma'am, and it's an old saying tina
blood IS thicker than water; and though ht
don't recollect 1t many's the time have dan
died your husband on my knee when he wa
no bigger than little sonny there. Come
Tommy, and kiss your old Uncle
This was addressed TO Our eldest hope, al
urchiu of some five years old. The boy, how
ever, held back and did not seem inclined t,
accept the invitation
Run and kiss your uncle, you naughty
wllful boy, do said my wife.
The boy obeyed with very bad grace ant
Immediately afterward ran and hid his face
in his mothers lap.
no thank you, ma AMI don't seem &c
care for another cup o'tGn. But If you have
n dram of anything handy | think could
take a drop along with my pipe. Rams my
tavOlilc tipple, ma am-not to put you to nc
inconvenience
He was actually smoking pipe in our
drawing-room, and my wife Was looking on
and smiling.
oU, certainly, ItplICu my wiz, III Icply W
the last demand. It's 20 trouble, | assure
you. II think we have some in the house
OF course we have Emily | said, why,
rum is our favorite tipplc, you know.
My wife said nothing, but she gave me one
of those peculiar looks with which she some.
times favorS her devoted slave
She went down stairs, aud shortly after.
ward heard the front door close, by which
| understood that our domestic had been dis
patched to the nearest public house for Il bot
tie of rum.
| was not mistaken. In a short time she
returned with bottle and two glasses.
And now she said, 4 will leave you two
together while go and put the children to
bed. Say Goodnight to your uncle, Tom
my
Goodnight little one, said Uncle Joe.
Will he take IL little of tins, ma'am:'
'On, no, said my wife, hastily, drawing the
child toward her.
But Tommy had seen the rum in the glass,
and liked the look of it; and he declared
stoHly that he would have some.
a l. Il