Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-13
MY GRlAT-UNCLE'S DOUBLE.
Temple Bari

INSTRUCTIONS 10 make tDe Olu t'he.h"n
new dressing-gown two inches shorter
than the last one for he was forever tread
ing on it's edges and stumbling. The oid
man lost bis interest. too. N one thing after
another OF the many that had never hither-
10 ceased to engage hIs attention. Ills "a
vorite books lay open unregarded on niS
knees and his remarkable GIT OF nalia-
ton he YVES n rare story-teller' grhp"ic,
rapid. thrilling-descrted HIM. And ne
slept more and more slept late IN the
mornings after his usual time for rising,
alept longer than ever in the afternoons.
and vet fell asleep again lmnediateiy ai'e'
dinner. Nv uncle Owen, the phioiogist,
quoted Richard Role dc Hampoie.
Am alderman 70 dede drawand
MAY noght wake. 10; es sy slopand";
and nv fafher talked about "the .thir-
teenth climactcric." and all Of us nephews
and nieces. rr,at-pephews and meces;
and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and nieces, Tel
very sorry for what we could see was
comine. for we were all deeply attached TO
the dear old man.
1 say this by way Of preface in order that
those who prefer 60 explain sucn phe-
nomcna as I am going TO relate as the more
waking dreams Of an old, old man. iast
sinking beneath the spell OF the last great
sleep. NAV do so Il they choose. Ny own
opinion-blt that IS no part OF my s'pfy.
When the spring came tho medical men
recommends change of air-the Berk-
shire pine country. so nv gredV-uhcio
went into Berkshire. ard I with him. ! was
his favorite great nephew ana 90 not inihu
confessing that was proud OF II.
The change Of air did the oid man goou.
weather fine. Nv uncle recovered some OF
his old spirits and wa able to take several
"constitutioDals."
One afternoon rs we returned from our
walk our landlord met us NJ the door, and'
touching his forehead, sold TO my uncle;
II bee vour pardon, SIR. but there is an
old lady hofc who would much IKE 10
speak to you If you have few minutes 10
spare. sir. II IA my grandmother"
Nv uncle assented. and we followed our
host INTO his wife's parlor. A we entered
n grav. toothless. witbcred old dame rose
from her place by the fire and courtesied
20 us.
70 my uncle IS soon "a he had sat down.
Put remember you, sir. was Miss
Jessg's maid. sir. at Northbrook. Do you
remember. SIR. in lSl4I
NV uncle looked M quickly.
Ann" he asked with surprise. 90,
Yes. sir.'' answered the old dame, with
4 smile of pleasure az finding herself re-
membered. ~ recollect your coming 10
NorthbroOk. sir. in 1914, IN the Easter
week. And when my grandson tod me
that a gentleman Of the name Of Gibson
was come 20 stay with him 1 thought az
once of Won. sir. And then whom ! sow
YOU in church last SUNDAY sad. Why,
and that is the very same Mr.. Glbson no"
Pm sure.' But she concluded deieren-
tiallv. "vou're grown in years, sir"
well" thought /, "since 1914. natu-
rally" -.-..
For oil Of MS knew that my great,uncle
william had a secret, though what the ma
ture of that secret was no oue had any idea.
Only NV father had heard from his father
that some ffty or sixty years since, Uncle
William would, now and then. IN converse
tion with his elder brother Dick, obliquely
sllude to q certain Jessy, respecting whom
Uncle Dick was ALWAYS profoundly eticent.
Nv Great-V ncle Dicks death took plac" IN
the twenfies / have forgotten exactly
when and since then Uncle William had
never named Jossv. But now ~ seemed
probable that might hear something about
this mysterious lady.
And where are Won now living, AnnT"
asked nv great-uncle.
The old woman replied that she still
lived at Northhrook. My uncle went on 70
ask about her history. ! began to believe
that. after all. he meant nothing 10 be said
about Miss Jessy." But presently he in
quired:
And the old place at Northbrook, The
Cottage and the garden. and the glebe
and the rookery, do they all remain the
same?"
They built some new houses in the
garden OF The Cottage some ten years
back, SIR answered the old woman. And
after that they pulled The Cottage
down. But the Clebe and the rookery,
thcy remain the same stll.
A full minute elapsed before my uncle
," And Miss Gwynne," he asked, without
any apparent emotion. she married!
She il not alive now. suppose
You aud have lived to be such old folks
Ann. that there is scarcely any one whom
we knew left"
"Ah no. SRI answered the old dame
drcamily. But Miss Jessy, sir. died In
1919. You never heard of itl"
"ls19l" exclaimed my uncle. But she
was married only in--in -"
In 1917. sir: in juno, three years and
two months after you came"
"les. yes ] know II was about that
time" answered nv uncle, with some
thing like shade Of impotence.
was impressed by the way IN which the
old dame dated the marriage from the time
Of my uncle's visit.
lyon never came again, sir" she ven
tured TO remark now finding that my uncle
asked omOre questions.
No, my uncle admitted, he had not called
again.
Miss Jessy used to say. sir. that you
would come some dav. Some day, Ann,
some day. she used to say to me. You'll
see, Ann, that some day MIR. Gibson will
come again.
Tell me about her marriage" said my
uncle. changing the subject. "She mar
ried Mr.. Morgan"
Eyes. sir. After all she married Mr.
Morgan Morgan. II was to Mrs; Morsan's,
his mothers, that she went to dinner that
day you came, SIR. Perhaps you remem-
ber?"
Al remember that she went 10 dine with
some friends. | had forgotten who they
WERE" replied my uncle. But tell me
how all this happened--Miss Gwynnes
marriage aud the cause Of her early death"
Complying with tins request the old
dame commenced a long but tolerably
lucid history. Indeed. thought It a Won
derfully lucid history for an old woman to
tell after the lapse of 80 many years. But
the incidents had evidently made a strong
impression upon her at the time OF their
occurrence. | observed that my uncle lis
tened with rapt attention 10 every turn OF
her narrative. J shall not attempt TO re-
peat the old womAus words, but only to
give their general substance
What she gave us TO understand was
this: After ms uncle left The Cottage"
that afternoon in the Faster week Of 1914.
Miss Gwynne was fully convinced that
some DAY lac would again come to call in
the same unexpected way. Especially at
Christmas she thought she should see him,
and again after Eastor returned. So con
WINGED was she that sometimes after
breakfast IN the spring mornings and late
In the autumn afternoons she would 90
across the glebe meadows in the
hope Of meeting him, having somehow
persuaded herself that on tins or that day
he would certainly come. And sometimes
she would weep on returning home
without having seen him. At other times
she would 81 for hours at a window
ut the back of The Cottage" watching
the path by which he should arrive. All
thus the old woman related "a little retl-
Gently and hesitatingly. but what she
meant was clear. PLAINLY, ct some time or
another, INV great-uncle William had fallen
in love with Miss Gwynne. and his regard
had been. az least IN a degree. returned.
Not having seen the young ledv for three
or four months he had paid her this visit
at Northbrook ON hrs way home from Ok
ford al Easter IN 1874 and after that visit.