River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-05-29
TO LET.

II tlidb IthlCtG AollAAblAoOhg III opASO VI AAAo
/ fine Christian appelation, was neither
| one nor the other. His nephew and
\ namesake, who was called in the bosom
of his family Rupert the second, said
that his uncle Rupert was "crusty old
bachelor" and hammer my brains in
4 vain for more fitting appelation. A
crusty old bachelor he undoubtedly was
more than fifty years of age with griz-
zled hair, heavy grey eyebrows, thick
| grey beard and gruff voice and man
ner 1t is very true he was always very
careful to keep the crustiest side of his
nature on the surface, and had been dis
| covered in the act of committing Sc
| cretly, deeds of charity and kindness
that belied utterly his habitually surly
tone and abrupt manner.
Twenty years before, when the gray
hair was ut-grown and clustered in
| rich curls over the broad white fore
| head, when the brown eyes shone with
| the fire of ambition, and the clear voice
was true and tender, Rupert Smithson
had given his heart to Katie Carroll -
neighbor and friend and little sweet
heart from childhood. Urged by love
| as well as ambition, he had left his
home in a small Western town and
gone to New York to win name and
fortune to lay at Katie's feet. The for
tune and fame as a successful merchant
| came to him, but when he returned to
| Katie he found she had left her home
also, to become the bride of wealthy
pork dealer in Cincinnati Nobody
told Rupert of any treachery to the
pretty Katie, of letters suppressed, of
SANDERS circulated, and of parental
authority stretched to its utmost in
favor of the wealthy srlitor. He had no
record of the slow despair that crept
over the loving heart when the plead
| ing letters were unanswered, of the dull
apathy Welded at last, and gave away
the hand of the young girl when her
heart seemed broken. All the young,
| ardent lover knew was the one bitter
fact that the girl he loved faithfully
and fondly was false to her promise and
| the wife of another He spoke no word
of bitterness, but returned to the home
he had fitted up for his bride, and the
business he had hoped was a stepping
stone to happiness and life loneliness.
4 H., lofo,. rhat, htC icfa
her son and daughter, came to live in
New York for educational advantages,
Rupert the First was certainly what his
saucy nephew called him, crusty old
bachelor. Yet, into that sore, dissap-
pointed heart Katie's desertion had so
wounded the bachelor uncle took with
warm love and great indulgence his
nephew and neice, bright handsome
children of ten and twelve, who, child
like, imposed upon his quiet good ma
ture and rioted over his quiet, orderly
home, till his staid housekeeper de
clared they were worse than pair of
monkeys; they caressed him stormily
one moment and pouted over the refusal
of some monstrous indulgence the next,
and treated him generally as bachelor
uneles must expect to be treated by
their sisters children.
| There was some talk when Mrs.
Kimberly came to New York of making
one family of the household, but the
idea was abandoned, and the wealthy
widow selected residence three doors
off, in the same block.
Rupert is so set in his tidgety old
bachelor ways she said, chat it will be
positive cruelty to disturb him. :"
Probably young Rupert nd Fannie
did not consider their bright faces dis
turbers of their uncle's tranquility, for
it is quite certain that, out of school
hours, No. 46, their uncle's house, saw
them quite as frequently as No. 43,
where their mother resided. With the
intuitive perception of children, they
understood that the abrupt and often
harsh voice, the s,uly words and the I'M
demonstrative manner, covered heart
that would have made any sacrifice for
their sakes, that loved them with as
true love as their own dead father
could have given them.
As they outgrew childhood, evidences
of effection ceased to take the forms of
dolls and drums, and chopped out in
Christmas checks, in ball dresses and
bouquets, in saddle horse, and in vari-
Gus other delightful and acceptable
shapes, till Rupert came of age, when
he was taken from college into his I'M
cle's counting and a closer init
macy then ever was cemented between
the young life and the one treading the
downward path to old age.
There had been family gathering at
Mrs. kimberly's one evening, late in
the month of March and conversation
had arisen upon the traditional customs
of the first of April
"Senseless, absurd tricks Rupert
Smithson had called them in his abrupt
way, "fit only to amuse children and
| idiots"
ooh pshaw, Uncle Rupert Fannie
said saucily, you played April fool
| tricks, too, when YOU were young"
Never! Never could see any wit or
sense in them. And what's more, Miss
Fannie, / was never once caught by
these shallow deceits,
Never made an April fool?"
Never, and never will be-" was the
reply. There, child, 60 play me that
last nocturne YOU learned 1t suits me.
l hate sky rocket music but that is a
dreamy, lazy air, and ] ike it.
THE idea of your liking anything
dreamy or lazy" said Miss Kimberly
Il thought you were all energy and ae-
tivity"
when / work, work. was the re-
ply, but when want rest want to
rest
Uncle Rupert" broke in Rupert sud
denly, what will you bet can't fool
Won next week ?"
bah the idea of getting to my age
to be fooled by boy hkeyou."
Then you defy me?"
"Of course do.
"I'll do it. Keep your eyes open"
/ "Forewarned is forearmed. But
come, stop chattering l want my
| music.
| Pretty, saucy. mirth-loying Fannie,
with her dancing black eyes, and bril-
liant smile, did not look like 6 very pro-
minent interpreter of dreamy lazy mu-
sic; but once the girls fingers touched