Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-08-18
His Niece.

l JIc COulIdlNS 40 AAlllsLS ~
per as a spring morning. MIR. is.
Brown crooned moodily over the ledg-
srs and complained of the pale ink ana
rusty pens, while MIR. >. +. Brown
smiled and smirked, and hummcd q
gentle lullaby over the pages OF figures
oefore him. NJ. j. S. Browns counte-
nance was dark and %forbidding. From
Mr.. j. F. Browns face there beamed a
radiance which illumincd every nook
md corne of the counting-room.
"Humph!" grunted Mr.. j. S. Brown.
bitterly.
"Ha, ha, ha." softly laughed Mr.. J.
F. Brown.
"Brown," said MI. j. S. Brown, lift
.ng himself up from his desk and turn
ing around on his stool; Drown, L feel
called upon to reprove you for the friv-
olity you have exhibited during the past
week. You have neglected your work
you have arrived here late every
morning and left here early every after
noon-your business has been done in
q loose and incompetent manner, and
as q natural result our mutual interests
are suffering"
Mr.. j. +. Brown looked grieved.
Never before had he been addressed in
terms of reproach by Mr.. J.. S. Brown.
"But, Brown" expostulated Mr.. j.
F. Brown, ''you seem to forget that"
II forget nothing" interrupted Mr..
J. S. Brown; 81 am perfectly we'll
aware thatyou have a new baby-daugh-
ter up at your house. How could / for
get it, when l am reminded of the fact
every fifteen " twenty minutes? A
daughter, Brown, is good enough, and
has, l admit. certain advantages in her
way, but l submit, Brown, that a
daughter is nc excuse for the excessive
levity and coltishness of which you have
been guilty for the past week"
Oil don't understands" stam-
mered Mr.. j. F. Brown, blushing
deeply.
civil be more explicit will ex-
plain" continued Mr.. j. S, Brown,
still maintaining an air and zone of
frigid austerity. "Since the birth Of
your daughter you have been worldly and
feshly in your manner and conversa-
ton. Do you think it was in keeping
with your dignity to make your APP
a condition bordering, I may say, upon
hilarity? Was it right that you should
execute secular s~altatory movements up
and down this counting room while adj
vising employees of the fact that
you had a spick-and-span new daugh-
ter? Was it proper that you should
subsequently invite us all out for a
lemonade and a cigar apiece? Have
1 not heard you, every hour of the
day since that event, whistling-ycs,
Brown will repeat with increased
vehemeuce-whistAmg to yourself
certain lullabies and tunes supposed to
have been invented purely for the So
lace and editication of the cradle and
the nursery? Need 1 remind you that
frequently when you should have been
making out invoices of canned toma-
toes and picked Goldfish, l have found
you dreamily humming a frivolous son.
entitled 'Peek-a-boo' to yourself? And
is it for me to recall that frequently,
when you should have been here re-
ceiving consignments of dried apples
and brown sugar, you have been sky
larking about town, squandering your
money for nursing bottles and parcgoric
and tin rattles and tlummery of that
kindg"
"Ah, my dear Brown" sighed Mr..
J. F. Brown, sadly, '',you do not APP
preciate how sweet a boon ones daugh-
ter is to one"
'There you go again?' exclaimed
Mr.. j. S. Brown. .'There you 90 again,
with your maudlin sentiment. Your
daughter, indeed! Brown, / am sick
and tired of hearing eternally and ever
lastingly about your daughter. Your
n o,1obfa1s 1-c,,r In1,ot{n,. an, Io,,r~l
ter-it's the same old song from morn
ing till night, day in and day out!
Well-I-I-well-oh, bah!'
And Mr.. j. S. Brown nearly choked
with chagrin and disgust, while Mr.. j.
F. Brown sat mutely by and nervously
bit his finger nails, and vainly tried to
keep the tears from trimming over his
eyelids.
"You seem to forget, Brown said
Mr.. J. f. Brown, finally, very tremu-
lousy, and very tenderly, "you seem to
forget that while she is any daughter she
is your' niece"
Mr.. j. S. Brown started as if he had
been toying with the business end of an
electric battery. A new and bright idea
seemed to have dawned upon him. His
lower jaw fell, his eyes opened to their
widest capacity, and a look of combined
establishment and pleasure crept over
his face. His whole appearance was
that Of a man before whose comprehen-
sion a mighty revelation had been
spread.
'Brown," murmured Mr.. j.. S. Brown,
family and unsteadily, ''say it again
and say 1t slow"
You seem to forget" repeated Mr..
j. f. Brown, "that while she is ma
daughter, she is at the same time youY
miece.h
"Well, I snum!" exclaimed MI. j. S.
Brown, 81 never thought of Mat."
at is, nevertheless, an incontroverti-
BILE fact" solemnly added MI. j.. +.
Brown.
$50 it is, Brown, so 1t isl" cried Mr..
j. s.. Brown. "And I am indeed an un-
Gle! Ha, ha, ha-an uncle-whoopee!
We'll close up the store-the clerks
shall have a holiday-and, Brown, come
closer to me, We'll have lemonade and
cigars all around till we can't rest!
Your daughter, my niece-Brown, old
fo11-r- ~