Connecticut western news., 1890-04-02
DISINHERITED JOE.

not do. Certainly there wasn't on a fancy farm. From raising colts down to cultivating prize dahlias she could not be matched. She did everything SO easily, too; was so jolly comforta- ble in all her ways-why, boy could not help hanging around her.
 l was like her in some things; I wasn't named after her for nothing. l liked to turn my hand to lots of things, though I wanted fun in lem. And did like to take life easy Jo- seph H. Wingate, that's as near to Jo- sephine H. Wingate as you could ex- pect boys name to be. It seems my parents had talked of naming me Jo- sepha; I am glad they didn't. The boys would have been sure to call me Sissy. whereas I now flourish under the sturdy name of Joe.
 My aunt was immensely rich. Of course, 1 was to be her heir. That was understood in our family Mother would always say ''Sh!" when I talked of 1t boldly, but her eyes would glis- ten proudly just the same. More than once, too, I'd overheard her talking with some neighbor about my wealthy sister-in-law, the widow without chil- dren, for whom Joseph was named. And father seemed to let me off easier on chores and such things. He knew, of course, that some time better fortune would come to the family through me.
 We weren't very well-to-do. We had to ''scrape along," as father said, and put up with what we could get. But both father and mother took things cheerily; they understood that it wasn't to last on in this way always. There were six of us boys, and father was a printer. l tell you, 1t was comical sight to see, sometimes, the long legs and arms stretching out of the overgrown and patched up suits of five of lem. But l never looked that way, because l was named for Aunt Josephine 1 used to comfort lem, specially when 1 got off easy on my share of the work, by telling what l could do for 'em when l came into my property.
 spent my summer vacations with Aunt Josephine every year after was 10 years old. She wouldn't have me come before, because she said wasn't old enough to study up." 1 didn't exactly know what that meant then, but believe l found out afterwards.
 Aunt Josephine was queer, though % clever. She used to go about her work on the farm in a thick, short gray dress and straw hat that looked like a mans, and her hair was bobbed up into little knot behind She had stout figure and eyes that looked right into you. She really seemed more like man than a woman. About her work, l mean. But when work was done, she'd fix herself up in silk dresses and the lady of the White House couldn't be grander.
 Twas like her that way, too. I liked to rough it at play; but could do jus tice to smart suit in the proper place better than any boy I knew of. Those suits came pretty hard on father, but, It was funny, but Aunt Josephine didn't take to those suits as one would suppose she would.
 her nose:
 Seems to me, sir (she always said sir instead of Joel, your father dresses you better than he does the other boys"
 V he3" answered
 "Humph!" was all that she had to say then.
 How I reveled in Aunt Josephine's strawberries, plump cherries and golden rasDberrieSi Those summers l spent with her were a constant picnic. Nothing to do but eat and play. She tended the fruits herself. She wouldn't @f <l~ II every morning wedding or taking pre- cautions against the bugs.
 ''That's right, aunt" I said once. If you want thing done well you must do it yourself"
 s'Do you live up to that principle, sir2'' she asked sharply.
 "Why, no ma'am; I'm not obliged to-" said I.
 "Humph!" exclaimed my aunt.
 l said l was as fond of doing lots of things as my Aunt Josephine, but l think made it understood it was the things that had plenty of fun in 'em. There wasn't a fellow who could play cricket better, or swim, or shoot, or in fact do anything that required steady arm or long leg.
 Once Aunt Josephine drew me up before her. and with her gray eyes fixed upon me keenly, asked:
 Do you manage to have pretty good time at school, sir2"
 s'Yes, ma'am, 1 answered; master, he's little deaf, and he's near sighted, too, and that gives us boys good chance"
 Don't get as high rank as your brothers, do you7"
 "Of course not. Whats the needm
 "Humphl" she exclaimed again.
 But I knew, if she didn't say so, that she wanted me to enjoy myself. Many's the time she's said to some one of the men when I had been asked to do bit of an errand:
 ''Oh, let the boy alone, unless he is willing. Somebody else can be sent. !"
 Of course she was thinking that did not need to be.a worker.
 Once she asked me what liked do- ing the best of anything.
 sPeppering tom cats,n answered, promptly.
 ssWhat in tine worlds that2"
 ''Oh, Dick Hawley and 1 take our popguns and go up Cat alley-that's a row of tenement houses where the cats are awful thick-and we just fire away at them with little stones till there isn't a tail to be seen. It's great fun"
 "Well, sir, do you expect to earn your living by and by, peppering tom cats7'
 'I don't expect to have to earn my living"
 "Humph!,'
 Another day she fired questions at me as thick and fast as Dick and did pebbles at the cat.
 If you had your living to get, SIT what should you choose to bel"