The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1890-05-01
OLD UNCLE BILL

hns place ON ibt,iiudson would be surprls
81 To notice. alter ~hils. 40 old mss whr
wandered shout The place dressed all sum
msr 10 white ,bni aud liesn ,est and
trousers and ishermsbs bat. aud al
winter 10 q ~ooleu dressing eoso. ii,
wss meek. tall. bald old man and peopl,
>, fret ipok him Tor supersnnoaie6 old
tervaui; bu,. finally. his nice linen, hl'
pssi hsnds. and certain we'll bred tons
Of voice. IL. 10y chance. they heard him
speak. made ihem ash:
Who l. thslS
Iilhsy Inquired OF Mics Belle. the ED
est unnsrried daush,,r. she ~onij 40
sser.
An old conn elton Of poor mspmAs
] esu'l see Why "a hss him here horrid
thingl
II tie, sst,d a Mr.. Morris msi,len sister Z,
sic would rrply
0aa uiibe blessings ~, late sister n.law
brought wiib her into the family. A miser.
Ahtt " tf"1u-N Nfti bi lFisttbHs
II the question we're ptoponlds,l TO pom
pons MIR Norris, ss he sat III his arm
chair on bis piazza, or drove ahont his
property 10 one OF bis handsome vehicles,
he would answer:
Well. that's sort Of q relation Of my
wife's, ne' er- do ueel. The black sheep
Of the flock, you know. Always is one 10
every family. For her sske she was q
very benevolent woman we let him stay
about. He prefers estinRby himself. He's
very stupid. very, but she wanted him
bere. aud she had her way. poor soul
erudeed h.r nothing, YES. that's poor
Bill
Fut il IL was Miss Pbemie of when the
question was asked she always answer
ed.
| Why. that is Uncle Bill. He's . little
eccentric. but the dearest old soul. I'm
very. very fond OF him, aud he OF me Dear
old Uncle Bill
Certainly Phemie Was the old mans
only friend in that po,opous household,
She 1t was who went up to his little room
with his meals and sat with him while be
ate them; who saw that be bad the news
paper and bis pipe, who bad fixed that
little out Of the way place with pretty
carpet, book shelves, sstudent's lamp, |
lots OF pretty ornaments in worsted aud |
painted silk; who never received hei
monthly allowance without buying some
thing for bin.
His pretty, snow white shirts were her
gift, and she saw that they were done up
properly. The flannel dressing gown be
wore in winter was OF her contrivauce 10
fact, up in that dormer rooted room there
we're hours that were more home-like than
any spent in the great psrlors or the big
dining room, where Miss Belle was only
ailec,ionaie to "pa" when she wanted him
to give her more money TO spend; aud
Nofrs, the elder sister OF the master Of the
house, made bitter speeches in the psuses
OF the needle work in which she was per
petually engaged. Sometimes direct at
her brother, sometimes ut Belle. sometimes
at Phemie. but sl worded so circumspect.
and clothed in such guise OF piety that
no Que dared resent them.
What a comfort you are, Uncle Bill,
Picnic would say, as she poured out the
old mans coffee.
And what comfort you are, Picnic,
old uncle Bill would say. III l was rich
uncle, just home from India, like those 10
plays and novels, you couldn't make more
Of me.
shouldn't make so much, uncle. Pbe
,nie would answer. for you'd be a victim
Of liver complaint, aud that would make
yon feel i'll Datured, and you'd scold me
and say naughty words. They all do, you
know. Now you haven't any money or
stocks to worry about. like poor pa; and
yon're.not irritable, and like to be with |
you. You're like mamma, ton You have
her eyes.
You are sister Sussns image the old {
man would say. DO you remember the day q
that you came to the hospital with
herr
Yes, said Picnic was just IL years q
old aud mamma was crying over the tele }
gram. My only brother. Phemie. she said
So sick that he may die, and so poor that I
hes in hospital. Then we came and q
saw you ia bed, and after while We n
brough, you home and ma Dursed you well b
again. Il
Aod died herself, just as got about, {
said Uncle Bill And your father and the b
rest did not like shabby old man around q
The house Well, was lucky TO get . I.
home suppose, and lnckief still to dad i'
such dlsinterested love rs yours. You're "a
ike Suson She was the dearest girl that Y
sv.r lived. Yes. you're like Susan. b
But they did not slwsysialk Thus They b
we're very Often. busy over books; Phemi-s 81
,mbroiisry. tor which he designed pat 81
'eros; teaching her liiile dog thousand o.
ricks; feeding the blind kitten Picnic d
,sved from dro~niog; making little veil, b
rom which The canary drew Buckets OF Ia
ster And Pbemie aud the old man
sould wander of 10 the river eide. where b
10 voud fish, seldom ci,chias sny thing. b
nd she would read OF k0it
None Of the family kn-s OF these in,i "
naeie. Belle. Older than Phemie by six "
ears. preferred that she wsuii consider sl
le,self child upiil Miss Norris Vas mar
ied. And Aast Mnci. de,ssted her Tor b
,er resem bl.ace to the sis,sr.ia.lsw Who !,
'hai nevss been coogenial.
No one 10 the house knev. bot some Que j
10, Of tie household did. aud shared at
ime. 10 them y
Sometimes, when lhe oii nsI's rod dang b