Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-07-19
The Sturp Teller.
A COOL MILLION.

New York, oracularly. Il know it is moi
less than cool million" She was very ex'
act, you will observe, in stating the precise
temperature of this large sum of money.
She meant John Warbeck's fortune, made
in Colorado, with which he was now on bis
way, after long years of absence, to his sisters
home. There certainly never was family
in such state ofexcitement over an approach
ing event as was ours now. Nothing else had
been talked of for weeks. The only person
who appeared the least bit calsa was Mr.
Archibald ; but then he, you know, was nom
entity.
After his wife had spoken the above words
he folded up the letter he had been reading
sleathed it in its envelope, and resumed his
breakfast.
Mrs Archibald eyed him impatiently tor
some time, and then said, rather severely,
"Well, Mr.. Archibald, if you can find time to
tell me, should like to know what my broth
er John SAYS. When will he arrivef Pray
don't choke" :,
Tomorrow morning." answered the old
gentleman; "but not with a cool million.
Something very near it, then-only lit
tie less"
Considerably less, my dear-a twenty dol
lar note"
"What! Please talk sensibly, Mr.. Arch
bald. l hate jokes and riddles; I don't un'
derstand them"
HE says he never had more than two hun
dred thousand dollars, and that he lost last
week in St. Louis at cards. You know bis
weak point He always would play. Every
body CANDLES at the mines. He sat up two
days and two nights over the game they call
faro and left the table with fifty dollars in his
pocket. When he arrives he will have about
twenty. He intends to begin the world again,
and suppose we shall have to take care OF
him till he can get an opening"
Mrs. Archibald had turned deadly pale, she
seized her husbands letter, and hastily read
it through. Yes, it was quite true; and John
Warbeck was coming back, after so long an
absence, just as be had gone-a beggar.
"Very WE'LL" said his afectionate sister !;
"I'll take care to teach the gentleman that
this is not the almshouse He always was a
fool; but be shall find that am not one, at
any rate"
Fannie eyed her mamma with some curios'
ity. All the past week she had heard nothing
but praises of Uncle Johns shrewdness and
industry, and particularly Of his self:sacri6ce
and good sense in never marrying.
"If anything should happen, my love-he
is old, you know, and has led wearing life -
it would-would distress me beyond measure.
should never recover, I fear. But, you see,
Fanny, everything-postively every penny
he has-would 60 to you. You must be very
attentive to your uncle, darling"
So mamma had previously often said, and
now the change of sentiment was as startling
as it was sudden. Instead, the instructions
we're, "Your uncle has no claim upon us,
child. You must take very little notice of
him."
Fannie was pretty and also good girl,
and she felt much distressed at the idea of ill.,
treating her poor old uncle; and so, when
Lucius Mallory came that evening she conf
ded everything to him. Lucius was her ad.
mirer, under strong protest from the maternal
head of the house, as his pecuniary prospects
were at present rather dismal but he was al
lowed to visit the young lady once or twice a
week, strictly as friend, and think it needs
no conjurer to tell US that the two young
people were not dreaming Of any such thing
as marriage. As to the ring in the little
trunk upstairs, kept always locked up, where
it came from and what it meant, express no
opinion.
"Indeed, it would be a shame, and, really
a sin, Fannie" said Lucius, firing up, for he
was young and chvalrous. "If you must treat
the old gentleman coolly in publc-l mean
before your mamma-you ought to let him
know the reason in private" And this is
Just what Fannie determined to do.
So the next morning Uncle John arrived.
He was tall and high-boned, and gray, and
certainly very rough in his appearance; but
he had an honest, smiling face, and wonder
fully hearty way about him, that certainly
would have won the kindness and sympathy
of almost anybody except Mrs. William Arch
bald.
William Archibald himself shook hands
with the old man, and was rather cordial des'
pite the menacing eye of his wife; but she
was grand and distant, and assuredly so
marked in her bearing that its meaning could
not be misunderstood.
When Fannie kissed her uncle, her nam.
mas fingers tingled to inAict certain nurse
ry chastisement long disused but the elder
lady commanded her temper, and only said,
Fanny. you have not watered the flowers, |
think"
Uncle John seemed rather surprised. He
had received reams of letters from his sister
Clara, imploring him to pay his long.promis.
ed visit and how he boasted to his friends OF
the kind hearts that were beating with so
much warmth and good feeling towards
him !
"They will eat me up?" he had said, over
and over-his corded and weather-beaten face
radiant with happy anticipations. "lt makes
fellow feel joyous to think there's somebody
cares for him. Let's wind up again, boys"
l fear it WAS because he was entirely too
we'll wound up that he parted with his money
so speedily in St. Louis. But did he care
now?
1--WE home and good friends to take care
of me the,rest of my life," he said and this
speech considerably annoyed the gentlemen
who heard it, for they remarked among them
selves, "That old fogey has piles of money
hidden away somewhere. What we've won
isn't drop in the ocean. Let's 60 for some
more
But uncle John declined to play again, and
nothing could persuade him to break his res
olution. He went to bed and had good
rest, and then, as we know, started at once for
his sisters.
He was surprised, as has been said, and
not without cause He really could not un-
derstand it. Had he omitted any polite form
in his reintroduction into civilized society, or
was the whole matter merely fancy, after all
No certainly<that hauteur and those cold
monosylables we're as unpleasant realities as