Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-10-23
UNCLE JOHNS STORY.

hdo III lONt OuCt-llOW uOu I
laugh at me, you curly-headed little
rogue-I wasn't as gray then as l
am now, and | didn't stoop a little
and cough a little, as | do now; no,
| was a gay young fellow enough,
and tall enough; and conceited
enough, for any little goose of a girl
to fall in love with. ALI that was
a happy time, and Uncle John, the
gray-headed old bachelor, as you
call him, looks back upon 1t with a
sigh when he thinks Of it. All,
we'll!
"My sweetheart's name was Will
helmina-yes, it was a romantic
name, and the girl who owned it
was a romantic girl too; she was
sweet SIXTEEN rather tall for her
age, and her face-well, l can't
describe her face, though ofttimes
see it, as the poet says, sin my
dreams.' I've a little portrait here
Of her, which was painted when
she left school; she gave it to me in
the happy time, and I've kept it
safely since" And Uncle John
drew miniature from a pocket in
his expansive waistcoat, suspicious
ly near his heart, and handed it
round for inspection.
He slipped some grog, did Uncle
John, and he must have brewed it
a little stronger than usual, for it
brought the water in his eyes, and
he cOughed a sort of choking cough,
too. All, Uncle John! We guessed
your secret.
SWELL" he continued after we
had all lexamined the portrait, which
was that of a really beautiful girl
-"well, Wilhelmina and l loved
each other-at least, | thought she
loved me, and l knew | loved her
We used TO stroll together in the
summer evenings and talk of the
time when we should be each others
for life. What pictures we drew O.
the wedding, bridesmaids, positions
gray horses, and carriages innu
merable!
"You needn't smile at what In
saying, little niece OF mine in tn,
corner tlere-sixteen is the age 70
building aerial mansions, aud w
we're no older. You and Charlie
are addicted to planning the sam
frail architecture, if | may judg
by the bushes on your pretty fac
when he wfispers to you sometimes
All you think Uncle John so blint
because he's getting old and wear
spectacles when reading, but h
doesn't require his glasses wher
looking at your tell-tale blushes
you little witch-now don't ge
angry, for I'm only joking.
"Well, time flew along, as tim
will fly with lovers; and one even
ing, as Minnie and I-she told m
long before to call her Minnie, "a
Wilhelmina sounded 50 very dis
tant,' she said-one evening, a
Minnie and | were sitting side b
side on a mossy bank near the littl
stream that ran through the village
she put her little white hand int
mine, and looking up into my face
said, John, dear, Should you b
sorry if we're to leave here, and G
to live, oh! such a many, man,
miles away?'
"Sorryp replied; 4 should be
and here | was at loss for
proper expression, and so | said
ever so sorry; but you're not goinI
away from us, are yo6, Minnie?
~ don't know that We are sal
Minnie; but | heard papa say h,
had been offered an appointment a
. large town hundreds Of mile
from here, and he didn't know
: whether to accept it,
"'Don't let him accept it, Minnie
D don't let him persuade him to sta
, here. XoH know | couldn't liz
r without seeing yeu.'
, "'Ah! she said, with roguisl
l smile, that made me fall deeper il
t love With her than ever. DO yo1
! mean itF
"Mean it, Minnie | replied
Can you doubt it?' And here
don't laugh at me, you little puSs-
= l kissed her-yes, kissed Der, ant
it wasn't the first time, either.
81 don't doubt it, John, dear
, she said.
"Then we began to make oa
plans, in case her papa did leave tn
village; ana we agreed 10 write I
each other twice week; hut-~oh
we were knowing yoQng couple
we were--my sister was to addres
my letter to her. We were to
young to be regularly engaged, yo
} knowJ apd she--that is, N nnie-
: was to write to me under OoTer I
2 the same kind party,
"In this we did not indulge il
aerial architecture, for in less thai
a month after, Minnie, her papa
mamma, and all the family, lsf
Ever8leigh and went to live at tn
5 large town she spoke of, though no
3 before she aud I'!h,sd bad parting
meeting, and a sorrowful one, too