Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-09-05
UNCLE JACOBS RUSE.
A Change in His Will Produces a
Happy Effect.

A Change in His Will Produces
Happy Effect.
Jenny and Lucy Bagley were the pret-
tiest two girls in Balky Bottom. Their
mother was very proud OF them, and
though widow in straitened circum-
stances she strained her narrow means
to put them at the new seminary.
The ambitious mother might have
found it difficult TO carry through
her plans if an only brother, several
years her senior, who had run away
when boy, and who had long ago
been given up for dead, hadn't come
back one day as suddenly as he had
disappeared, with no end of money in
his pocket, still bachelor.
Uncle Jacob Ransower, in spite of
his grotesque dialect and old-fashioned
manners, soon became great favor
ite with Jenny and Lucy. BY sort
OF tacit understanding he took up his
homo in his sisters house, and from
that time the latter was relieved from
all anxiety on the score OF her daugh-
ters' education, Uncle Jacob thence
forward cheerfully paying their bills,
including all the 'extras."
The girls came home finished at
last, and Uncle Jacob was teased into
buying grand piano, with half cart
load of fashionable music.
The sisters would have had 6ocks of
beaux, for they were not only remark
ably pretty, but, as every body knew,
they would one day come into Uncle
jacobs money; but they held their
heads so rcry high that there wasn't a
youth in Balky Bottom adventurous
enough to spunk up to them. Even
Hiram Hoppick, who used to be rather
spry in his attentions to Jenny in the
ante-seminary days, and Reuben Ruck-
man, who used to bask in an occa-
sional smlo of Lucy's in the same
blissful period, hung back now like
brace of bashful school-boys with their
fingers in their mouths.
AT last 2 star of the first magnitude
set the armament OF Balky Bottom all
ablaze. 1t was 10 less q luminary
than Mr.. Cleophas' Brassey. Uncle
Jacob, who had caught from his nieces
touch OF the seminarian idiom, pro-
nounced him ''mooch too quote
But the ladies nonconcurred. Mr..
Brassey, in their eyes, was perfect
Prince Charming; and when they
came to know him, and heard him
sing: "Me hawt is fawh, fawh away!"
IA statement with probably more
truth than poetry in nit-Jenny declared
he was nicer than Att, and Lucy
quite agreed with her.
For the first time in their lives was
there any jealousy between the sisters.
For time Mr. Brassey distributed
his attentions impartially between the
two. 1t would have puzzled him, in
deed, to give a reason for prefer
ence. In point Of looks. neither sister
had the advantage, and Uncle Jacob S
money, it was understood, was to 90
TO them in equal portions.
But Cleophas Brassey was of more
practical turn of mind than the meta
physical donkey that starved to death
between two haystacks, for want of a
philosophical reason for choosing TIE
one rather than the other Uncle
Jacob was complaining good deal
lately of ''puzzin' in his het," and
had put himself on double rations OF
blackstrap as a remedy. Feeling there
was no time to lcse, Mr.. Brassey, in
the privacy of his chamber, christened
his meerschaum Jenny and his tobacco
stopper Lucy. and went over the old
Juvenile rigmarole by which school
boys decide who's first to be hare.
The last word fell to Lucy; so Lucy il
was.
From that time forth it ceased to be
question where Mr. Brassey's pre-
dilections lay. 1t was nothing but
Lucy with him now.
Mr.. Brassey would have proposed
to Lucy without delay, but he was a
little dubious on the score Of Uncle
Jacob. It would be just like that OBJ
stinate old Dutchman, If he didn't like
the match, to express his disapproval
by disinhcriting clause in his will.
But at last circumstance occurred
that couldn't fail to give Mr.. Brassey
a considerable lift in Uncle Jacobs
opinion. Lawyer Hacker, with whom
Mr.. B. seemed to have good deal oi
business lately, came in hot haste in
search of that gentleman, whom he
found on the widows back porch max
ing himself quite one of the family
Uncle Jacob, with his corncob pipe
and pitcher of blackstrap, fanking
the party.
Il have just received" )" said the law
yer. breaking in on the company witt
the air OF one on pressing business
.an offer of two hundred thousand dol
lars for your Florida plantation
What answer shall l givef"
Say I've changed my mind ant
don't wish to sell" carelessly repsie.