The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-04-20

Philippe. Nobody wants such an ugly
wide-mouthed little gnome about theii
house."
| winked back my tears. Philippe knew
that / was sensitive about my mouth
when she aimed that wordy shaft SO skill
fully.
'If you say another word in ridicule of
my Uncle Rudolph" said |, 'Tll go
straight to mamma and tell her"
mamma won't care"
mamma will care" said /. "Mamma
loves her brother dearly, and she won't al
low you to laugh at him.
A sullen silence ensued on the part of
my elder sisters had gained my point,
but they contrived to make it very uncom-
Portable for me-
However, neither Laura nor Philippe
were girls to bear malice very long, and
they came down next morning to help get
breakfast, as good-natured as ever.
Mamma" said Laura, ''give me the
keys of the blue room and I'll go up for
some of the larger napkins. These are
mended and darned until they are hardly
decent, besides being too small
"You can't go now,' said mamma. She
was busy brewing chocolate. ''Your Tn
Gle Rudolph is in the blue room. | put
him there to sleep because there's a leak
in the roof of the best spare room, and |
was afraid it might be little damp. Why
girls, what's the matter?'
For Philippe uttered little shrek, and
Laura dropped the double damask table
cloth in the coal scuttle, while | stood
trans6xed to the floor.
'Uncle Rudolph in the blue room!' said
Philippa. ''Close to us! With that door
between, Laura, he must have heard
every word We said.
And she sat down and began to cry.
Laura looked aghast, but she was quick
to recover herself
'sHush, Philippa," she said. Don't
make fool of yourself. Here's Uncle
Rudolph coming down now. I'm just as
sorry as you are, but all the whimpering
in the world won't do you any good. We
must just make the best of it.
Girls, ;" said poor, bewildered mamma,
what does all this mean?"
But before we could explain Uncle Ru-
dolph came down stairs, snug, smooth
shaven and looking as fresh as winter
pippin.
Good morning, sister Rockfield, " said
he, sitting down opposite the fire.
Good morning, girls. | was talking
last night, sister, about adopting one of the
three, and making her the heiress to what
little I've got to leave"
Yes said mamma, wondering very
much what was coming pext.
''Well I've made my choice. This is
the one. drawing me close to him.
'Not Pollyr'
ayes, Polly. True, she hasn't Philippa's
wax doll face, nor Laura's quickness of re-
partee, but / think she'll get fond of me
all the same. Philippa thinks me mean
old hunk Lanra dou't approve of way
| have of talking through my nose. But
Polly stands up for the old gentleman, like
a brave girl as she is, with a heart of gen
uine gold.
81 am sure don't understand what on
earth you mean, Brother Rudolph, said
mamma, with a puzzled wrinkle between
her brows.
"But these girls do said Uncle Ru-
dolph, with curious roguish sparkles in
his eyes. "The next time you've got com
pany stopping in the house, young ladies, "
to Laura and Philippa, lyon must do
your confidential conversation in lower
tone of voice.
Philippa pouted, Laura hung down her
head, / cried; couldn't help it,
"Uncle Rudolph said |, Il don't want
anything that my sisters can't share
"But, you see, you haven't any say in
this question, miss said Uncle Rudolph,
laughing.
so that is the reason that ], Polly Rock
field, whom my sisters always declared
was born for a kitchen maid, live in a
great house, with swarm of servants at
my beck and call, and Laura and Philippa,
who would have graeed a ducal castle,
keep house together in a cottage Nam
ma lives with us, bnt Uncle Rudolph won't
have the girls.
''They don't like my way of talking
my nose," said he. 'And I'm
too old dog TO leain tricks at my time of
lifel No, no, little Polly suits me the
best"