The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-04
MY RICH UNCLE.
Wny the Nephew Never Missed
His "Lost Expectations"
CHAPTER ].

CHAPTER T.
Nv innate idea of ? rich uncle We. ablan,
old gentleman, with tips. z. sovereign
a lis fingers ends. Experience corrected
that. Asked at q school examination Ia,
derivation OF the term ''cUTmudgeon,"
answered, uHhcsitatiuSly, Uncle Dick"
He had quarreied with my rother-hi
darling sister-for marryin" Freuchmay
and never seen her since. he lived unmar
Tied, and alone. by mother, long widowed
had peTtially recovered the loss OF tendc'
husband. never this enlargement from
c1Ael brother 1t emOittered two lives, u.
to say three. He had tacitly accepted ms
as his heir, expressly, 1 know for the pleas
ure of plaCuing me 10 death beforehand
Two annual visits paid aim at Hamertou
Grange. Conceive a young Daniel, con.
Senned twice year 70 cast himself into q
bO1's den. Eaca time escaped alive, ONLY
by miracle, felt sure. One morning IN
mother received letter in his Handwriting 2.
1tG perusai 50 excited her that | foolish '
sGTeamt be had Tciented. Her tones undc-
ceiyed me.
.Davidr she exclaimed, iInpressivcly,
hiding. her face, prepare for the very
yOrStp'
What! is he dead or dyingln inquired,
iDobSU AlCS5lk-l was OliN nineteen.
"Dyingt No such thing Lives to de-
fraud yOu-my poor, innocent boy. Robbed
o. Your own-yoTr all Dick, what mon
ser0Us revenge is thisi He's going to be
married" she explained
is that aiI!" said l. like the nincompoop
an. She read aloud:
''Ihe lady, Miss p. Celia Watson, Is
tyenty-siX, of excellent American lineage.
Her father was formerly commander of cha
constatulaIV, and died in the diplomatic
service at Indianapolis. Her mother WAS
n Howard, connected with certain leading
families among our old nobility. MisJ
Watson is 8 lady of culture and refinement
well worthy to share my name. think It
my iuty TO apprise you of an event thst
touches you so nearly. Ny nephew is wei
come to come next month, as usual.
shall even be happy to see him at the ceTe-
mOny on the Slst DroXimo."
here she broke down, Sobbing nervouslv.
Insult heaped upon injury. l beliSva
you always meant to, Dick"
Suddenly she looked up with CLEAN of
inspiration.
Il don't believe she's a lady-or Ame-i-
can. She never was christened Gel 2.
She's forty il she's a day. Diplomatic
service Unionapolis-why, that's whers
our former solicitor, Hopkins, emigrated
to. I'll write to him for full particulars
about Miss 2. Celia Watson"
The approaching University boat race
seemed then to me Of more consequence
than the antecedents of NV future aunt.
Five weeks later NV visit to Hamerton
Grange fell due. That morning arrived the
answer from indianapolis.
This exceeds my brightest hopes" con-
feSScd my mother, q she read"
Miss WatsOn'S all right then" said I.
,nrYcently With fond, plying look she
replied:
''David, give your uncle this letter He
stands Oh the verge OF precipice-thi5
viii save him. He who said I disgraced
him by marrying D'Aubignyl You may
read II, David"
mo, thank YOU" said L, pocketing the
document. l seemed to feel it there Ike a
red-hot coal. Pleasant carrying a bom!.
as a wedding present for an uncle like Dick
l. was two hours journey to HamertOn
with change at Pidcot. Absorbed iE
I'aiSch, barely noticed nv fellow-passeu-
gerS-three ladies, one Young, and a..
elderly cleric. | thought we must be nea--
ing PIdcot, when the carriage began JERK
3ng IN an extraordinary manner I'm
pleasant, short. sharp whistles sounded
Suddenly the young lady opposite flung her
self on the back seat beside me, steadying
Der feet against the woodwork S'Sit still i
she said, it'll be smash Directly
One moment | spent in no-luan's land
What happened, / never exactly kn-w
The next thing | was aware of was nY
neighbours voice saying:
w ere All II gDt now
opened my CaZed eyes. Human fo--~,
1smmed together, broken glass. splinteTs,
oid gentlemen ihsenSIble. old ladies shrek
ing, blood streaming from : cut in s0I,, A.
body'S head. Horror paralyzed me. not
my fair companion.
"Open the door" she said.
''It's locked l objected.
Lost your railway key. Take mt -
obeyed. and We "Xtricated the p-rscn,
who was beginning 20 recover
More frightened shan hurt, " she decidan.
-'Get some brandy" Then, rs l gazed hely-
lesSly adown the ditch, she added: 'Dcuhs
YOU see the tavern sign behind those trees
Run" I ran. When 1 returned she had
bound up the cut. Quieted the hysterical Ia
dies. and was looking at her watch IybrIi
miss the Hamerton train she said. ''Gct
my travelling bag out of the carriage
please l got it. Nobody seemed ro;-lly
injured but the line was hopeieSSly blocked
for hours. How far to Pidcot." She asked
OF the guard. six miles. One could drive
that in time"
III only cabs grew wild, Ike those pr.m
Tosesm sighed. "Hamerton is my deSsila-
ton. too.n
II see 4 spring-csrt in the tavern shed,
anO horses in the field. Come across Per.
ha0s we can tsIk them into putting tor
And by energetic persuaSions, She actT,-
ally induced somebody to drive us-sh-
Kindly offered 10 take me-to Pidcot for .
consideration excessive.
That's no concern of ours she re-
minded me, charge it TO the company"
Before our fellow passengers had well
realized their souls and bodies still BELONGED
together, We two were half way to Pidcot,
expressing hOUndieSS admiration of he
cool intrepidity.
''O.'' she remarked, Il was in a bigger
smash once, in the States
States! | started. A fair American,
bound for HameTton.
''By all the laws of likelihood. my futurs
aunt, Miss WalSon,'' surmiSed. squirting
al the initials of her bag, which seemed not
to correspond.
81 see what you're doing,'' she saiu.
~"rhev're not mine vet, but they will ne
Tn - be married on the 31st"
Aha Now was master of the situation,
|'Might know the fortunate mans name ~
asked
Richard Grimston, OF Hamerton
Grange"
"A man of fortune. too, ehi"
"Why, certainly" she rejoined. sFYo.
don't suppose pauper would come pro
posing to mes"
"Your senior, surely-considerably
twenty-five years. You needn't cad &
q quarter OF a century, you know. And
fancy he can look in the glass with bows 81
young ss you. Ind take the shine out OF
SoMs.