Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-07-25
OUR EXPECTATIONS.
.unu very unfortunateIn

tsHow confoundedly annoying!"
The above remarks were made by
nv wife and myself respectively one
bright September morning as we sat al
breakfast in the dining room of our
tiny. old-fashioned cottage at Low
thorpe. Before us each lay an open
letter and It was the contents OF these
Ietters-indivldual and collectively
which had called forth the remarks set
down above.
To be more explicit, Elias letter was
from her uncle. Gregory Carper, signi-
fyiug his intention of paying US a visit
on the following Tuesday. My letter
was from my uncle, Simon Finicker,
saving he intended paying US a visit on
the following Tuesday.
Nothing particularly alarming in
that, you thinkp
wait a little. Old Gregory Carper
was most eccentric and lrascible indi-
yidual of reputed fabulous wealth, who
had more than once distinctly stated
that II vas his intention to make his
only niece (my wife) his heIress. Old
Fiuicker, my mothers brother, was
also rich in this worlds goods, and 1t
was generally understood that I, Chas.
Danvers, was to be his heir. And
between these two old men there was
a deadly feud- The quarrel had taken
place six months ago; and each uncle
(after giving US an exhaustive cata-
logue of the enemies enormlties) had
sworn IN turn that if we, Ella and
Charles Dauvers, exchanged words,
letters or visits with the said enemy In
future, we should be ostracized by the
remaining uncle.
Now, for more reasons than one,
Ella and looked upon this as serious
contingency; and l regret to say that
We had recourse to dupnclty- We gave
each uncle to understand ths.sr We We ,lreIi
the other as the scgmo OF the earth OF
%ss d1nn-e efacr1y say SO, We implied
it); and, 30 far, we had kept on toler-
ably friendly terms with both. We
called our baby-we had baby-Gre-
CORY and Simon by turns. He had
been christened Simon Gregory in the
presence OF both uncles just a week
before the fatal quarrel took place.
(Poor little souli I used to shudder
when thought of his debut with such
a name at the public school where his
mother talked already OF sending him,
1 offer no excuse for our unpardon-
able conduct. 1 acknowledge that 1
PLAYED the part OF mean, abject
sneak. But 1 trust the reader will see
that, under existing circumstances, the
projected simultaneous visits OF these
two uncles was, to say the least Of 1t,
However, there was no help for Il.
To write and put either of would Of
fend the put of one almost as mortally
as to allow the dreaded meeting to take
place.
There will be a fne scene." OBJ
served grImly, after a short pause.
by joveI there willl''
Ella stirred her coffee abstractedly I;
and 1 struck my eggspeon vindictively
through the shell Of my third egg, with
a vague wish that 1 were infiicting
corporeal Injury on either Objectionable
relative.
s'Charleyl" said my wife, In piteous
tones, when some few minutes had
elapsed, what shall we do?"
ASK me something easier, my dear"
1 replied gloomily.
1T Is so awkward in every way"
she went on. "Jane does not return
from her holiday until Wednesday"
Jane was our housemaid.) "And
COOKS being so deaf makes her so stu
Did. And your uncle Is SO shdgety and
she added
1 did not reply but reread both let
ters silently. No, there was no mis-
take, both uncles were coming on Tues
day. Mr.. Carper proposes a three
DAYS visit; Mr.. FIncker intended
starting early on "Wednesday morning
TO attend a cattle sho| some twenty
miles from Lowthorpe. He would
come down, he (my uncle) said, by the
5.l5 from Waterloo.
"As usual, Mr.. Carper does not
the train he intends coming
down by" observed dryly. There
only remains, as q climax, that they
should both elect to come by the 5.1o."
30, Charleyl Surely notl"
81 think it Is more than likely"
with the calmless or despair,
as proceeded to unfold the newspaper.
l had Just ten minutes to read and
digest 1t before catching my train up
To town.
Charley, how can you sit there
eoolly reading the paper?" exclaimed
my wife, almost in tears
'AIy dear" demonstrated, there
are five days to come before Tuesday.
We don't know what may happen In
that time. One of the old fools may
er-aheml We can talk It over when
| come home TO night" I concluded
hastily. Then, with what 1 have been
told IS the innate sel1shness OF the
masculine mind, 1 plunged into the
news Of the day,
When 1 came home at night Ella
met me with a beaming smile
=, Charley" she began gleefully, as
Invested myself OF my hat and over
eoaI, u have thought or PLAN
"A plan?n echoed vaguely.
header-I give you my word I had
old men. ~
uo, Oh, the unclesln groaned, after .
moments reflection. LET rs have