Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-08-28

to exaggeration.
"You'll want ladder, 1 supposed"
said Jenny, encouragingly.
MIR. Dobbin was evidently bashful.
''But where are the rods?"
Mr.. Dobbin smiled a little, and
coughed uneasily.
He was overcome with timidity and
embarrassment, evidently.
Jenny's soft heart was melted with
pity.
81 was relieved to find it was you"
she said, pleasantly, with desperate de-
sire to put him at bis ease. II am ex-
pecting somebody else-whom l am not
anxious to see."
"Indeed?" said Mr.. Dobbin, finding
his voice at last.
His tone betrayed so much interest,
and his bright eyes, fixed approvingly
on her face, shone with such friendly
curiosity, that Jenny felt sudden lik-
ing for the little man, and an impulsive
desire to pour her troubles into his sym
pathizing ear.
''It is my uncle" she said, with her
prettiest pout. "And abominate him.
I'm very unnatural, am not?" and she
laughed.
The lightning rod man did not re-
spond; but he betrayed Il suddenincrease
of interest.
'pm unnatural" Jenny repeated.
"But don't believe an angel could feel
any other way in this case"
Mr.. Dobbin coughed again. and wound
one of his short legs around the rungs of
his chair.
'Might I inquire" he said, mildly,
'what this case is?"
'It is the most dreadful you could i'm
aginer' said Jenny, impressively.
And, with an uneasy consciousness
that she ought not to contide it to a
stranger, she launched into an indignant
recital of Uncle Philo's unpleasant be-
havior, from her grandfather's will to
the present crisis. She even brought
Uncle Philo's letter, and read it aloud,
with scornful emphasis, pointing out the
hardheartedness it indicated, and dwell
ing on its general wickedness.
"To think" she cried, "that he, with
all his money, should begrudge us this !!
1t is not much; it would only make him
a little richer; but it is everything to us.
And father his only brother! He must
be utterly heartless."
Her soft eyes were bright with pret-
ty wrath, and her face was charmingly
flushed.
The lightning-rod man watched her
with fascinated eyes.
81 have thought" Jenny went on,
musingly, ''that if he knew how things
are, he might feel different If he knew
how hard father has always worked, and
how unfortunate he has been, and how
much he needed the money, and how
many things we'd like to do that we
can't even now-how much ], for in
stance"
She stopped suddenly, with flush.
Mr.. Dobbin drew his chair a title
closer.
GLOW much you what, my dear2" he
said, gently.
Jenny looked at him timidly.
But there was fatherly look of kind
ness and sympathy in his bright eyes
which there was no resisting.
"How much | would like to bring
John dowry-a little oner' she said,
softly. CT expect to marry him, you
know. And he is only clerk: we shall
need it dreadfully."
The Lightning rod man was silent.
"I'm afraid | have bored YOU" said
Jenny, compunctiously; land it is quite
absurd to have told you at ALL"
II am glad you have" said Mr. Dob
bin. with kind smile"
"But have hindered you," said Jen-
ny, rising hastily. ''Of course you
wanted to be at work"
mot at ALL" Mr.. Dobbin rejoined;
"or-that is, l think will come to-mor-
row, if it will be quite the same.n
lie picked up his et-bag and Of
fered cordial hand, and Jenny watched
him to the gate with smiling eyes. He
was really very nice for lightning-rod
man.
Tom was home early that night, aud
Jenny met him at the door.
MIR. Dobbn came, !" she said, brightly.
'And | never shall believe you again.
He isn't such talker at all.
"He isn't2" said Tom, amazedly. "He
was asleep then, or temporarily insane.
"I'm afraid, come to think of it, that
l didn't give him chance" f" said Jenny.
"You must have been hard at it to
keep Dobbin quiet" Tom calculated.
"What were you talking about2"
"Uncle Philo," Jenny replied. 'T
don't know how l came to; but he
seemed such a nice little man, and so
sympathetic"
'Little?" cried Tom. "Dobbin little9"
"Well, not tall, ;" Jenny protested.
"And then he is older than father. His
hair is quite gray, and didn't mind"
"Gray2 Dobbin's hair2" said Tom.
He looked at his sister in alarm, as
though he suspected her of having taken
leave of her senses.
There was sudden knock at the door,
aud Jenny opened it. A very tall and
very lanky man, with a shock of bright
red hair looked in afably.
'I'm a little late, you see," he OBJ
served, nodiing to Tom; "but better
late than never, you'll find in this case.
You'll never regret, sir, having invested
in an article which no honest citizen,
7aluing his life and the lives of his fam.
/ ily can afford to be without. And for
reatness, durability and unfai,ing efficacy,
these rods of mine can't be beaten. Why,
cir, only last week, they saved family
of fourteen from total destruction.
] L l. l.