Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-09-12

heads our sketch.
'sOh, it's only Uncle Paull' said Mr..
Bcllenden. Don't fret, Lucy. He's the
most pcaceable old man in the world.
He'll make no more trouble than a
cricket. Johns wife thought she
couldn't have him because she has no
servant just now"
Neither have To said Lucy, rebel
lious Y.
"And Sarah don't like company.
81 am supposed to be fond of it, OBJ
served Lucy, bitterly.
Sand Reuben's girls don't want old
folks staying there. It'stoo much trouble,
they say, added Matthew.
Lucy bit her lips to keep back the
words she might have uttered, and said,
instead:
'Where is he to sleep2 The Bedfords
have the front bedroom, and your cous-
In Susie occupies the back, and the four
Miss Pattersons sleep in the two garrets. !"
She might have added that she and
her husband and the baby had slept In
hot little den opening from the kitchen
for four weeks vainly expecting Mr.. and
Mrs. Bedford to depart, and that she had
never yet had a chance to invite her
father to the farm in pleasant weather.
But she was magnanimous and held
her peace.
ooh, you can find some place for
himi" said her husband lightly. There's
that little room at the end of the hall
where the spinning wheel is.
6 But it isn't furnished" pleaded
Lucy"
''You can easily sew carpet together
out of one of those old pieces from the
Bedford room; and its no trouble to put
up muslin curtain to the window and
lift in a stump bedstead; and you can tack
together a mattress and whitewash the
ceiling, and-what's that, Lucy9 The
cows in the turnip field ! Dear me !
everything goes wrong if | step into the
house for moment. And really, Lucy,
these things are your business, not
mine ~ he added irritably.
Lucy could not help laughing, all by
herself as her husband ran up the
steps.
But it was a very sad little laugh, and
soon changed into sigh.
81 wonder she said in a whisper, elf
my poor tired-out ghost would haunt
these stone pavements and scrubbed pave
ments if were to die? never heard Of
a. ghost in a dairy before, but
should think that it might very
easily be.n
But the little bed room was fitted up,
fer all that, as fresh as rose, and Uncle
Paul arrived, dried-up, yellow COM
plexioncd old man, with an old-fash-
Toned cravat tied in many folds about
his neck, and broad -brimmed low
crowned hat and fine gold headed
cane.
He had polite way of half century
ago, and Lucy thought she should like
him very much, if she only had time to
get acquainted with him
But she was churning ten pounds
of butter day, and there was the
baby, and the company, and the
young chickens, and the baking to
do.
She was almost too busy to sleep. But
Uncle Paul was watching her quietly all
the time
He came out to the barn, one day, where
his nephew was putting new handle on
sickle-blade.
" Pretty busy times-eh, Uncle Paul?"
said the farmer, scarcely taking the leis-
ure to look up.
AYE" absently answered the old
man. Did | tell you, Nephew Mat
thew, about the reason l left your cousin
Joseph's2'
mot that | remembenp said Matthew,
breathing on the table and polishing it
with his silk handkerchief.
Dorothy died-his wife. >
ooh, yes,7 said Matthew. Glow
fever, wasn't it9''
:" Mol" bluntly answered Uncle Paul.
" It was hard work That woman,
Nephew Matthew, did the homework for
eight persons. Joe didn't even let her
have woman to help her with the wash
ing and the ironingl'
. Must have been a regulars going
brute" said Matthew, tightening the
handle little.
= All the sewing, too, added Uncle
Paul" the mending and making. She
never went anywhere except to church.
Joe didn't believe In women gadding
about"
1.-THE old savagev' said Matthew.
sShe was fond of reading, but she
never SOt ally llInc lOT IL. Salu uncle
Paul. "She rose before sundawn and
never lay down until eleven o'clock. 1t
was hard work that killed that woman.
and Joseph coolIy declared that it was
sheer laziness when she couldn't DRAG.
herself about any longer. And when sEs
died he rolled up his eyes and called it
the visitation of Providence. .
why didn't the neighbors lynch