The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-06-12
OLD UNCLE BILL.
And the Way He Fooled His
Pompous Brother-in-Law.

Pompous Brother-in-Law.
any one who visited Mr.. Norris at his
fine place on the Hudson would be sure
to notice, after awhile, an old man who
wandered about the place dressed all
summer in white shirt aud linen vest
and trousers and a fsherman's hat, and
all winter in a wooden dressing-gow
He was meek, tall, bald old man. and
people at first took him for superannu
sted old servant; but, finally, his nice
linen, his neat hands and a certain, we'll
bred tone of voice, if, by chance, they
heard him speak, made them ask:
"Who is that?"
If 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 they asked Mr.. Norris maiden Sis
ter, she would reply:
lone of the blessings my late sister
in-law brought with her into the fam
lily. A miserable ne'er-do-weel of a re-
lation."
If the question was propounded to
pompous Mr.. Norris, as he sat in his
armchair on his piazza, or drove about
his property in one of his handsome
vehicles, he would answer:
"Well, that is a sort of relation 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 very benevolent woman-we
let him stay about. He prefers eating
by himself. He's very stupid, very; but
she wanted him here, and she had her
way, poor soul. l grudged her nothing.
Yes, that's poor Bill"
But if it was Miss Picnic of whom
the question was asked, she always an
swered:
why, that is Uncle Bill He's 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 it was who went 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 worstcd 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
continuance. In fact, up in that
dormer-roofed room there were hours
that were more home-like than any
spent in the great parlors, or the big
diningroom, where Miss Belle was only
affectionate 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 the 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 one 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, Phe-
mie," old Uncle Bill would say. IF
was rich uncle, just home from India
like those in plays and novels, you
couldn't make more of me-"
II shouldn't make so much, uncle,
Picnic would answer, 'for you'd be &
victim of liver complaint, and thai
would make you ill-natured, and you
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 nam
ma, too. You have her eyes"
"You are sister Susan's image" thu
old man would say. do you remem
Der the day that you came to the hospi
tai with her?"
YES" said Picnic. II was jus
twelve years old, and mamma was cry
ing over the telegram. MY only
brother, Phemie,' she said. so sicl
that he may die, and so poor that he's il
hospital Then we came and l saw
you in bed, and after awhile we brough
you home, and ma nursed you vel
again"
And died herself, just as I go
about" said Uncle Bill. ''And you
father and the rest did not like shabb,
old man around the house. Well,
was lucky to get homo, suppose, ant
luckier still to find such disinterestet
love as yours. You're like Susan. Sh'
was the dearest girl that ever lived
Yes, you're like Susan"
But they did not always talk thus
They were very busy often, over books
over Phemie's embroidery, for which h
designed patterns; teaching her ittl
dog thousand tricks; feeding the bin,
kittens Picnic saved from drowning
making a little we'll, from which tn
canary drew buckets of water An,
Picnic and the old man would wande
off to the riverside, where he woul
fish, seldom catching any thing. AM
she would read or knit
None of the family knew of these In
timacies. Belle, older than Picnic b
six years, preferred that she should Con
slider herself child until Miss Norri
was married. And Aunt Marcia de