The Penn's Grove record., 1886-02-20

IN their place by the bench, picked up
the shoe and the stick of backing with
which he was finishing the edge of the
sole. and then he sat down.
He looked at Tim. The boys dis
appointed face touched his sensitive,
gentle heart, and he at once assumed a
look of interested inquiry, though his
face was still very pale.
'sWeIl. Tim, if L can't guess, tell
me42
and began to tell his news.
"Well, you know, Uncle Tony, how
we was talkin' yesterday about the
op'rer, and about the time whent you
used to play in the orchestrer at that
Lane Theatre in LondOn?"
Eyes. Tim in the orchestra at Drury
Lane Theatre"
THAT'S i'll Well, this mornIn' after
had sold out, | was justa-wishin' and
a-wishin' that l could get twenty shines
to do, as l did last year, so we could
go ag'In, for, oh, it was just heavenly
and | was a.standin' before the main
entrance of the Grand Hotel, and a
thinkin' about that op'rer we went to
last year, and a-whjStlin' the theme
you learned me, and we play together,
when two awful swell gentlemen came
along, one of 'em with his boots all
splashed. said to him;
"'Have IA shine, sirP You need It,
tIIe put his boet on the ? box, and
said: Where did you learn what you
was Just now whistlin' my lad2' Il
heard it at the op'rer last year, and
Uncle Tony learned me to play it,
Then he says, rs your uncle a musi-
cian?' Says l, You jest bet he ISL
Where does he play2' says he; and I
told him You played at home. AT
homel' said the gentleman, raising his
eyebrows this way"-and Tim opened
his handsome brown eyes, and raised
his fine, straight brows as high as pos.
sible.
"'Isn't he a professional musIcian?'
4 guess he is l said, but he mends
shoes, now, and we play evenln's. l
live with him. 'Um-ml' said the gen.
tleman. so your uncle plays Wagner's
music and mends shoes, does he?"
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,
I TIC put up ilBb JULIO bOObs NAN OLlNA
his head with a queer kind of a smile
said: And do you anticipate going to
the op'rer this yearP' If I can get
shines enough for the tickets in the
loft for Uncle Tony and me- said I.
'Oh-hol so you furnish your Un&5
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 bei]
Why, Uncle Iony's wife, of course
Isn't she your aunt2' No; nor Uncle
Tony amt my right uncle. lie found
me asleep in a packin'-box seven years
ago. We'll, well, we'll here is a combi-
n%ationl 1 suppose you would like to
60 to the op'rer, even though this adop-
ted uncle of yours-the musical cobbler
should stay at home2''No, | wouldn't
said ]. 1T wouldn't be the same with
OFT Uncle Tony"
At this point Uncle Tony brushed his
hand across his eyes. and blowed his
nose vigorously.
"'Well, said the gentleman, come
IN to the desk a moment, and we will
see what we can do We went in, and
he wrote on a piece of paper, put 1t in
an envelope, and told me to go over to
Cartons theatre and give it to the man
at the ticket office. l did, and here,
Uncle Tony, is Observation-Disclosures
And Tim took them trlumphantly 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 livel"
The door of the inner room opened
with IA emphatic click, and a large
woman, with a broad, round face,
small features, and beady, black eyes,
came in, treading with such weight
that the triangles in the cupboard set
up a vigorous Ginning. Her express
sion plainly told that she believed her
self TO be a martyr, and that no n
could know what she suffered. She
seated herself in a rocking-chair, and
fetched a heavy sigh.
Tim turned his cap round uneasily,
Uncle Tony gave an apologize cough,
and then he asked:
do you feel any better, 'mother'i"
Nobody cares whether l do or notl"
was mothers" ungracious response,
as she leaned her head on her hand and
Swayed lack and forth ominously.
Uncle Tony coughed again, and said
gently:
Now, don't 'motherl' Tim and l do
care a great deal about how you feel"
Il should think you did by the noise
YOU keep up when | am trying to get a
little restl''
81 did upset the clamps, but 1 really
did not mean to-"
"Mother" was unappessed, and con
tinued to rock and sigh Tim shifted
~upeasfiy, and Uncle Tony bent over
his shoe very lnd%ustriously.
AS the continued silence gave ''moth-
er" no further opportunity to say any
thing unpleasant, she raised her head,
and, turning toward Tim, said, sever
ely:
Timothy, this is a strange time in
the day for you to come home. l should
certainly think that a boy who needs as
much as you are always a%-needin', ought
to put in his time a-pickin' up what he
could"
Tim looked furtively toward Uncle
Tony, who came to his assistance.
Tim had great luck, to-day, moth
er, and came home TO let US know
about IT."
1t would have been too much conde-
scenslon on the part of "motheT, F." to
have appeared at all interested, but,
under the influence Of awakened curl
osity, she ceased to be aggressive, and
Tim was emboldened to relate, briefly, |
how he had obtained the season opera
tickets. : Knowing that ''mother's"
one standard of all earthly good was
money, Tim, in an evil moment, and
to make his story impressive. declared
that his tickets were worth forty-eight
dollars, and would fetch as much as
thirty dollars, he knew.
"Mother'sh interest began TO kindle,
and in a tone Of superior wisdom and
commanding suggestion, she said:
Now, Timothy, you have a chance
to make something worth while. You
just advertise in the papers that you
will sell them tickets. Ii you can get
more thau thirty dollars. lust do il, and