The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-17
UNCLE EPHRAIM.

ted " SAID Mrs. Angelina Sparkler, surveying
the high, old, rambling villa which was 10 Dc
her future home. II hope it won't tumtle
over"
This old balcony looks picturesque, but
it's horrid damp, and there's lot OF fungus
growing out Of the edge" observed Miss CAS-
sandra kicking over a chunky toad.stool win
the toe of her delicate boot.
"Ah, wcllw sighed Mrs. Sparkler, sitting
down upon one of the trunks the porter hia
lust brought in, and folding her hands with
lures in reduced circumstances like us ought
to be glad to have any kind of roof over oar
heads"
! That's all stuff" returned Cassandra, lilng
| ing her hat and parasol upon trunk. we
diHt glad, are WEI?
"Say Cass, see that house across the hedge"
demanded Miss Theodore Sparkler, iluttcrllg
into the room, and pointing through the WIN.
dow to a stately residence, whose grounds I'd
joined their own.
81 suppose I've got eyes, " retorted Miss Cas-
sandra; land | suppose IT'S very comforting
to see an elegant mansion like that so close 10
our antedlluvlan ark"
"Hold on! lemme tell YOU" ran on her Sis
ter, talking 50 fast she could not take time 70
pronounce her words properly. "Our girl told
uhC tllut IL - phh'A ~ " 'N"'''J
bachelor"
Goodness sakes! why didn't you say SO
beforeY
keep still for a moment, Cass. He isn't
home now, but will be home this fall"
Here II third young lady came flying IN,
with her hat tumbling oil backwards, and be
ran to talk before Theodore could finish her
sentence.
"Who do you thinks over at that house
across the hedgey' she demanded, dancing
about until she tnpped up on her skirt and
fell over a fOwerpOt. "Guess--guess Sa"
him"
THE rich old bachelor" cried Cassaldra
and Theodore, III Il breath; and Cassandra
added, tartly: You always do get the start OF
us Coral, you little minx"'
"prwa ASH I the rich Old bachelor. He hasn't
come home yet" answered Coral. ut was
Laurence Harley. / was proving around IN
our garden to see what | could discover, and
the garden over there joins it, and he came
out of the house and saw me, and came right
down, said he knew me by the way my hat
was tilted up on edge, and he says he has
thought of us SO often and wondered where
We were"
Good gracious" uttered Cassandra.
"My patlencen chIrped Theodore.
Dear, dear, how it brings up I'D times,
murmured Mrs. Sparkler-"when we were
somebodies in the world and society was glad
to know us. It's a wonder Laurence ISM
married by this time. But then, he was al
ways careless creature ana never cared lol
any one In particular"
Don't be too certain" quoth Miss Cassan
ORA, tossing her lawny auburn bralds con
lsciously. "lf we hadn't moved away SO sud
denly and left all our friends in the lurch-'
What if we hadnrs" broke in Miss Theo
dora, archlng her jetty eyebrows, satircally
I"Don't let your concert run away with you
Cass. If | only hadn't tlirted 80 with thai
dreadful Major
But, oh, dear me-" Mrs, Sparkler was be
ginning her lamentations. 81 dare say Lau
renee won't care TO come and see us now since
our fortunes are so fallen"
"Oh, yes, he Will" cried Coral. That dom
make bit of difference. And his fortunes
are fallen, too. Hc-he's the rlch bachelors
head gardener now"
Head gardener" gasped Mrs Sparkler.
Head GARDENER exploded Miss Cassan
dra.
Head gardener walled Miss Theodore.
YES" assented Coral, IN "a halftrightened
tone; but don't see rs 1t makes such ter
rlble deal OF difference. After his father fail
| ed he felt he ought to do something to help
him, and couldn't pick and choose-had to dc
what he could-and it was this or nothing
He's helping his father now and saving money
and says he will do better IN time"
For mercy's sake hush" groaned Mrs
Sparkler. II hope you didn't ask HIM to call
Coral?'
at she did, hope he'll have better sense
than to do it," said CasSandra, holding heI
head very high III the air. 1T would be a nae
thing, when the owner of that house comes
home, to find US on intimate terms with his
head gardener
II dare say he asked her If he couldn't come
over" put IN Theodore "He always was a.
lmpudent rs the mischief. Now didn't he ask
if he could call, CoralY'
Not only that" retorted Coral, but he
asked me if he couldn't marry me rs well. liz
meant to ask me that last night before we
moved but we got interrupted, and the mex
day we were gone; and his folks got into irou
Bile right away after-so he thought bed wal
till he was in a better position before hunting
US up. But now that he found me, he said Ia
must tell me anyway, and"
The saints preserve us!' choked Mrs
Sparkler, on the verge of tainting. What
OH what did you say"
"Well-l kind of said yes, If you all didn't
object too strongly"
The EXPLANATIONS that interrupted her con
INlICtu Nplui pltti1 80
did object very strongly, and made her wlsl
devoutly for a minute that she had been borI
without any ears.
"You will never have my consent while tn
world SPINS" wound up Mrs. Sparkler
, Nor nine" nor mine" echo ed Cassandr
and Theodore
And Coral, quite persuaded in her owl
mind that the world might rs well come to al
end now rs at any other time, curled down IL
to little bunch behind the curtains aud crie'
until her handkerchief was soaked.
Late in the evening little old gentleman
In tall, woolly cap and a pair OF painfully
: brilliant spectacles, stood on the steps OF tn
Sparkler residence, and rang the bell violent
lly and when the door was opened by the CIR
Mrs Sparkler, who was peefing down tn
staircase in the dim light, exclaimed to the tw
D Misses Spsrkler behind her: "Oh, it's INCL
, EDhraimr, and ran down stairs into his arm.