The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-15


splashed. / said to him: Have a shine,
sir. you need it,"
"He put his boot on the box and said:
where did.you learn what you were gust
now whistlin', my lad? Il heard it at the
op'rer, last year, and Uncle Tony learned
me to play it, Then he says: is your
uncle musician| Says l: You
jest bet he lisp where does he playp says
he, and told him you played at home.
AT homep said the gentleman raising his
eyebrows this way, land Tim opened his
handsome brown eyes and raised his fine
straight brows as high as possible.
'''Isn't he professional musician? i
guess he is said l, but he mends shoes
now, and we play evenin's. l live with
him. 'Um-m!' said the gentleman. 80
your uncle plays Wagner's music and
mends shoes, does hep Then he turned
to the other gentleman and said: There is
another phase of American life for your
| book, PattOn.'"
"Then do You know, Uncle Tony, he put
up his other boot, and bending his head
with a queer kind of a smile, said: And do
you anticipate going to the op'rer this
yearP If / can get shines enough for tick
cts i'm the loft" for Uncle Tony and me,
said l. 'O-hol so yOW furnish your Uncle
| Tony with op'rer tickets, do you? said he.
| Yes, Miss Marshall won't let Uncle Tony
spend any money for 'em.' And who might
| Miss Marshall be?' why, Uncle Tony's
wife. of course.' Isn't she your aunt?'
| NO, nor Uncle Tony amt my right uncle.
| He found me asleep in a packin' box seven
| years ago."
"'Well, well, well! Here is combina-
| toni | suppose you would like to go to the
op'rer, even though this adopted uncle of
| yours-the musical cobbler-shOuld stay at
| home" No, l wouldn't said |. 1T
wouldn't be the same without Uncle
| Tony"
At this point Uncle Tony brushed his
| eyes. carelessly, and bowed his nose yigor-
ously.
"'Weu,' said the gentleman, come into
the desk amoment AMI we will see what we
| can do We went in and he wrote on a
| piece Of paper, put it in an envelope and
| told rue to go over to Cartons Theater and
| give it to the man at the ticket-oifice. [ did,
and here, Uncle Tony, is two-seasOn-
| tickets !" And Tim took them triumphantly
| from his pocket and handed them to the old
man, who, bringing them close to his near
| sighted eyes, exclaimed: "Why, Tim, they
are for the dress circle, as sure as you and
| | live"
| The door of the inner room opened with
| an emphatic click, and large woman with
| a broad, round face, small features and
| beady black eyes, came in, treading with
| such weight that the triangles in the cup
| board set up vigorous Ginning. Her eX-
| preston plainly told that she believed her
| self to be martyr, and that no one could
know what she suffered. She seated her
self in a rocking chair and fetched a heavy
| sigh.
Tim turned his cap round and round I'M
easily. Uncle Tony gave an apologize lit
tie cough and asked
Do you feel any better, motherY
Nobody cares whether | do or notp'
was "mother's" gracious response, as she
leaned her head on her hand and swayed
back and forth ominously.
| Uncle Tony coughed again and said,
gently: 'Now don't mother! Tim and ]
do care a great deal about how you feel"
81 should think you did by the noise you
keep up when am trying to get q little
restW
81 did upset the clamps, but 1 really did
not mean to-"
"Mother" was unappeased and continued
to rock and sigh. Tim shifted uneasily,
and Uncle Tony bent over his shoe in a
very industrious way.
AS the continued silence gave "Mother'
| no further opportunity to say anything un-
| pleasant, she raised her head and turning
towards Tim, said severely:
"TimOthy this is a strange time in the day
| for you to come home. | should certingly
| think that boy who needs as much as you
are always a-needin', and earns as little
as you are always a-earnin', ought to put
in his time pickin' up what he could"
| Tim looked furtively toward Uncle Tony
who came to his assistance.
"Tim had great luck to-day, mother, and
| came home to let us know about it,"
| 1t would have been too much condescen
sion on the part of "mother'' to have ap
peared at all interested, but, under the
| influence of awakened curiosity, she ceased
| to be aggressive, and Tim was emboldened
to relate briefly how he had obtained the
| season opera tickets. Knowing that
| mothers" one standard of all earthly
| good was money, Tim, in an evil moment
and to make his story impressive, de
clared that his tickets were worth forty
eight dollars, and would fetch as much as
thirty dollars, he knew. "Mother's" inter
est began to ldndle, and in a tone of su
perior wisdom and commanding sugges
tion, she said:
"Now, Timothy, you have a chance t.
make something worth while. You JUS
them tickets. If you can get more thar
thirty dollars, just do it, and it will be
nice nest-egg for real little fortune.
will help you take care of it, Timothyw
Tim saw his error too late. He grew rec
and stammered:
"But the gentleman gave 'em to me fol
| Uncle Tony and me to use. guess he il
the op'rer boss, and he wouldn't like t,
have me sell 'em!"
"Well," said mother, bridling, 81 DOM
s'pose gentleman such as the one you
told us about, gives Injun presents, to taxi
'em back again, does hep
Moo" said Tim, 'but if he has
a-wanted 'em sold, he'd a-sold 'em him
self"
"Timothy! now when you have a chanc,
to get a chunk of money, it is a-hyin' il
the face of Providence not to do It'll Wha
if you was to be sick, what would you de
then? If you get q little money together
and just put it out to interest the interes
is a-goin' on night and day, day and night
Your money is a-earnin' for you while yol
are sleepin'. You just go and put in thu
Advertisement"
Tim, in common with a great many PEG
pie, felt what he found it quite impossibl,
to express. He was no match for Mrs
Marshall on the subject of selling th,
tickets, though aside from his great long
ing to go to the opera, he felt it would be
mean act to sell them. He twirled his car
round and round, and looked furtively
anxiously toward Uncle Tony.
Perhaps three times during the fifteel
years that Anthony Marshall had livet
with his second wife he had quietly, firml,
and successfully asserted himself in direc
opposition to her will. On these rare occa
sOnS he had done this to vindicate som
nice point of subtle honor, or fine delicac,
Of feeling; for Anthony Marshall was borl
a gentleman.
Now he raised his head slowly, am
spoke with a shade more precision and dis
tlnctness than usual.
"Mi-ran-da. Tim must not sell the tickets
IL would not be honorable. Tim and | vii
60 to the opera and use them, as the gentle