The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-10-12

out again as soon as did the last
time.''
He returned to the house, and placed
the money in his wife's hands. The
smile with which she received it ran
the gamut Of reflection and sorrow till
it melted into tears; as she saw him
fastening his guard to his bunch of
keys, which he on such occasions
transferred to the left-hand pocket of
his vest.
Uncle Polydor came in time. lie was
as punctual rs an undertaken or a tax.
collector, and made sunshine in the
house for seven days. He congratu-
lated Sammy on his apparent prosperi-
ty; every thing 50 neat and abundant
about him; such profusion and order
and pretty servant.girl-they had to
hire a neighbor's daughter for the
days of uncle's stay.
Amp he said. 'this is as it should
be. l knew you would get along, Sam
my. Industry and economy, my bov,
always succeed, Look at me ? When /
was one-and-twenty hadn't a dime ::
now am worth $500, 900 and over.
But You won t have to work always
any more than. myself, my dears.
When old Uncle Polydor is dead, his
will will b. opened and read. and the
rest of the family will be nightly as
tonished, l warrant you, Sammy.
Then Sammy and Mrs. NJ. and the
oldest girl would protest. They knew
that if they didn't pronounce Uncle
Polydor as young or younger than he
was ten years ago he would get sulky,
and if they did not promise him forty
good years of life yet, he would set
them down as mercenary, and cut
them off with q shilling. lie could
not abide contradiction, and so his
conclusions as to their comfortable and
prosperous condition were Hever dis
puted. When little Polydor asked his
great.uncle for a dime to purchase a
Chinese kite, fashioned after the like
ness of hawk, he was sharply re.
proved and packed off to bed, with
chamber injunction to abstain from
such impertinence in the future, for
uncle must not be led to suppose that
they would sponge on him for cent.
And so it went all the time of his
stay-hypocritical assurances of con.
tentment, exuberance of welcome, and
disastrous lavishlless OF expense, until
by the time Uncle Polydor started for
some otler devoted Millet, the inflict-
ed and tortured ones were regularly
'teaten~ out of house and home.' Their
landlord wondered how they could be
so profuse in their hospitality and en-
tertain.nent, and not pay him the mod
est eighteen dollars so long overdue,
and he came near saying as much in
the sacred presence OF Uncle Polydor
himself.
Every evening, regularly as clock.
work, the old man chuckled over his
pipe and pint of punch, and repeated
his prediction concerning the surprise
of the rest of the family when the
reading of his last will and testament
should occur, and Sammy took a sip
and puff and quantum of courage.
"Didn't tell you so, Sammy p said
Mrs. Millet, when the day was done.
*'Haven't I always said that the big.
gest share of that two hundred thou
sand dollars would come to this field of
Millet? I wish l had named all our
boys Pclydor and our girls Polydora."
II can't see how we could have
done it, except iii the style of One
polydor, Twopolydor, Threepolydor
Millet, and so on. But l hope you are
right, my love. Even so near right as
a little legacy Of two thousand dol
lars.''
'You are actually mean minded"
said Mrs. Millet ''two thousand in.
deed! It'll he a hundred Thousand or
nothing
''The latter is like as not. But in
either event it Is tedious waiting for
dead mems shoes.''
Sammy was wrong for once. Uncle
Polydor went up the river to Scrag-
boro next week he went fishing, and
had to be tished for himself, and when
caught was as perfect specimen of a
drowned ship-chandler as ever the
coroner had jurisdiction Oh. lie was
buried with his fathers, if interment
in the next State but one fulfills the
conditions of the statement, and on
the afternoon OF the funeral his will
was opened by old Tapewax, the at.
torney, in presence Of all the Mil2ets,
great and small.
Each individual was there to witness
and bear testimony to the ast0nish-
ment of every other member of the
family, and receive the forced congrat.
ulations of the others on his particular
elevation to the important post of be.
ing the biggest Millet-seed in the meas
ure.
''T0 that nephew who has really been
most generous in his entertainment of
me, " read the lawyer, II will and be.
queath one thousand dollars, the mat
ter to be settled by my said nephews,
comparing notes and agreeing on the
subject. Item: To that nephew who
needs it most, the same amount, to be
applied In the same manner. Item {:
To each and every one, one hundred
dollars, to buy a black suit and mourn
ing ring. Item All the rest and resi-.
due of my estate to the hospital for
idiots and insane, situated in the town
of-," &C., &C., &c.
The other members of the family
were astonished.
"Codicil," said the lawyer. "In ad-
dition to the above bequests to my
nephew, l order my executors to allow
said nephews free quarters in and ad-
mission to said hospital at any time
they demand or the Same is demanded
for. thom. / would have divided my
property among them, but in my visits
l have found them so prosperous, pos.
sessed Of such competencies, that /