Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-06-12
OLD UNCLE BILL.
And the Way He Fooled His
Pompous Brother-in-Law.

ANY one NlO fAsAfel MF- MOTIFS AZ MS
fine place on the Hudson would b sure
- notice. after awhile, an old man who
wandered about the place dressed all
summer in a white shirt and linen vest
and trousers ard a hsherman's hat and
all winter in a wooden dressing-govn.
lie Was a meek. tall. bald old man. and
people at drst took him for asuperanna
ated old servant; but, finally. his nice
linen. his neat hands and a certain. we'll
bred tone Of voice. IL. by chance. they
heard him speak, made them ask:
who Is that?-
II they inquired Of Miss Belle. the
eldest unmarried daughter. she would
answer.
AN old connection Of poor mammals.
can't see why pa has him here-horrid
thing
If;hey asked Mr. Norris maiden sis
Ter, she would reply:
'pne % the blessings my late sister
in-law brought with her into the fam
lily. \ miserable n~e'er-do-weel Of a re-
%latiOn.r
II tho question was p~rorounded to
pompous Mr.. Norris, as he sat in his
Nh hAH piazza, VI 0EBNt aFtAH
his property in one Of his handsome
vehicles, ne would answer:
We'll, that is a sort of a relltiOn Of
my wife's, a ne'er-do-weeL. The black
sheep of the flock, you know. Always
is one in every family. For her sake
she was a very benevolent woman-we
let him stay about. lie prefers eating
By himself He's very stupid, very; but
She wanted him here. and she had her
way. poor soul. grudged her nothing.
Yes. that's poor BILL
But il it was Miss Picnic of whom
the question Was asked. she always an
swered:
why, that Is Uncle Bill. He's a lit
tie eccentric, but the dearest old soul.
I'm very, very fond of him, and he of
me. Dear old Uncle Bill"
Certainly Picnic was the old mans
only friend in that pompous household.
She 1t was who vent up to his little
room with his meals, and sat with him
while he ate them; who saw that he had
the newspaper and his pipe; who had
fixed that little, out-of-the-way place
with a pretty carpet, book-shelves. a
students lamp. lots of pretty ornaments
in worsted and painted silk: who never
received her monthly allowance with
out buying something for him.
His pretty, snow-white shirts were
her gift and she saw that they were
done up" properly. The flannel dress
ing-gown he wore in winter was of her
contrivance. In fact, up in that
do-mer-roofed room there were hours
that were more home-like than any
spent IN the great parlors, or the big
dining-roOm, whore Miss Belle was only
afi%ectiOnate to pa" when she wanted
him to give her more money to spend:
and Miss Norris, the elder sister of the
master of the house, made bitter
speeches in Inc pauses of the needle
work in which she was perpetually en-
gagged sometimes directly at her
brother. sometimes at Belle, sometimes
at Picnic, but all worded so circum-
specify and clothed in such a guise of
piety that no n dared resent them.
What a comfort you are, Uncle
Bill" Picnic would say, as she poured
out the old mans coffee.
And what a comfort you are, Phe-
mic old Uncle Bill would say. IF
was a rich uncle. just home from India,
like those in plays and novels, you
couldn't make more of me-
Il shouldn't make so much, uncle
Picnic would answer .'for you'd be a
victim of liver complaint, and that
would make you ill-nstured, 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 you're not irritable, and /
like TO be with you. You're like man.
ma too. You have her eyes"
You are sister Susan's image the
old man would say. DO you remem-
her the day that you came to the hospi-
tai with her?T
Yes said Picnic. Il was JUS,
twelve years old, and m was cry
ing over the telegram. NY only
brother, Phenie,' she said. SO sick
that he may die, and so poor that he's in
q hospital Then We came and I saw
you in bed. and after awhile we brought
you home, and ma nursed you we'll
again"
And died herself. Just as , rot
about" said Uncle Bill. And your
father and the rest did not like a shabby
old man around the house. Well, /
was lucky to get a home, / suppose, and
luekier still to find such disinterested
love as yours. You're like Susan She
wa the dearest girl that ever lived.
Yes Jos'Ee like Susan"