American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-03-06
A LONG.LOST UNCLE.

A LONG.LOST UNCLE.
LOVE her, and yet she is not beaut
full; nor has she any of the freshness {
youth which often possesses the attra'
tion of beauty. Neither is my love c
that blind nature which invests its objeC
with attributes existing only in the ina.
ination of the worshiper. On the cor
trary, / am able to state candidly tina
she is old, and that her appearance
certainly not prepossessing. | do no
love her for her virtues. She is not wis
or learned, and her disposition is non
of the most amiable. 1t is true she
pious, but fear do not value her NOR
on this account. i should not be sorr
If her piety were less, and if it were les
demonstraIive and less aggressive. NJ,
affection is not of that romantic and eX
acting nature which is never happy saw
in the presence of its object. On tn
contrary, l am fondest of her when sh
is farthest away. Yet am confident tn
feeling with which regard her will out
tachments.
The reader will understand my senti
ments when inform him that the lady
refer to is my wife's aunt, and that tn,
esteem with which we both regard her i
founded on her possession of a consider
able sum in railway shares and cOnsOls
and a comfortable and ycarly-increasinl
balance at her bankers.
At the present moment we entertain
toward her feelings of peculiar tender
ness, for it is but only the other day tina
we had nearly lost her. No, she had no
been ill. We had no fear that she wa.
going to die. We could have borne that
It is the lot of all, and resignation in sucl
q case is . duty. The danger which she
had just escaped is of different nature
nent it at one time appeared. But, thanh
Heaven! it is passed, and the tears
which blot this page are tears of graft
tude and happiness.
Ihave an Office in the city. do lit
tie in wine and cigars on commission
an6 occasionally travel in tea.
/ am a married man with small fami
ly. My income, regret to say, is also
small. The former, of late years, ha!
been increasing; the latter has not. My
Emily is an excellent manager, and,
honestly believe, lays out to the best ad
vantage the limited amount that l an
able to allow for our household expendi
ture. But we are exceedingly pinchet
ut times. The nature of my business
obliges me to reside in a genteel neigh
borhood, and we are frequently forced t.
sacrifice comfort for the sake of appear
ances.
Ny wife's aunt lives in the country
but she is good enough to visit us two o.
three times during the course of the yea
and spend a week or two with us.
On these occasions l need not say thai
We do all in our power to make her com
Portable. This is not always a task un
attended with difficulty. Like many ell
derry maiden ladies in easy circum
stances she possesses a peculiar talent foI
making other people uneasy. The re-
called upon to make concerning our do
nestle arrangements are generally more
distinguished for freedom than polite
ness. And though the spirit of piety
which prompts the utterance may be I'M
doubted, it is not pleasant for a man to
be told that he is a heathen," and tina,
he is "leading his family in the broad
path of destruction" This, too, wher
my conscience acquits me of any such
improper designs.
But we must bear with her little
weaknesses" says my wife. "YOu
know, Samuel, she does not possess the
blessings which we do, in these dear
children. Besides, We are her nearest
relations, and"
"Ah, true" 1 return. "The old CIR
will cut up well, one of these days, nc
doubt, and in the meantime we must be
civil to her, suppose. This is what you
mean to say, my dear?
mean to say nothing of the kind
sir, and you ought to be ashamed Of
yourself"
was sitting at home one evening, in a
rather melancholy mood-for l had just
been reading q letter from "our" aunt,
in which she announced her intention of
coming to see US in a day or two and
making long, long visit"-when there
came . loud ring at the street-door bell
started up.
my wife.
"Oh, no, that is not Aunt James ring .
replied Emily. Besides, did not heal
any carriage drive up to the door"
l felt comforted. 1t could not very
well be Aunt Jane. No, the idea was
absurd. But, you see, l had just been
reading her letter and felt nervous and
easily startled.
Presently our little maid of all work
came upstairs and informed me thai
there was q gentleman below who wished
to see me.
Invent down and saw a man standing
in the hall. He was tall, stout, elderly
man, with q weather beaten face. He
was we'll dressed and displayed a guam
tity of jewelry about his person. But
his clothes fitted him badly. He seemed
like a man who had been got up to look
like a gentleman, but the attempt had
failed somehow.
He advanced toward me, holding out
his hands.
Are you Sam Courcy." he said.
my name Is Samuel Courcy," re-
piled, drawing back.
For disliked the tone of familiarity in
which he addressed me.
"Then tip us your flipper, my boy
Why, Lord love We, don't you know your
old Uncle Joe?"
looked at him but did not recognize
him. This was not extraordinary, as /
had never seen him before. However,
had heard that l had an Uncle Joe at the
antipodes somewhere-whom, by the by
l had always thought of as Uncle
Joseph" But it was all right.
30 this was my long-lost uncle.
I"tipped him my ripper" at once.
took him upstairs and introduced
him to my wife. That dear creature
whose Impressions of people are always
sery quickly formed, did not seem to be
greatly delighted with my relation. And
l must confess that, AFTER the enthusiasm
Of the first greeting had subsIded-and
cold indeed must be the heart of him
who is not moved when he grasps the
hand of a new-found uncle-I myself was
disposed to receive him somewhat dis
family. His language was coarse; and
the mans manner exhibited peculiar
mixture of self-assertion and difiidence
that was not prepossessing.
But as he warmed into confidence, and
as he related to US the simple story OF
his life and his wanderings, our hearts