Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-16
A COOL MILLION.

not less than cool million. She was
very exact, you will observe, in stating
the precise temperature of this large
sum Of money.
She meant John Warbeck's fortune,
made in Colorado, with which he was
now on his way, after long years of abb
sence, to his sisters home. There GER
tainly never was family in such state
Of excitement over an approaching event
n was ours now Nothing else had been
talked of for weeks The only person
who appeared the least bit calm was
Mr.. Archibald, but then he, you know.
was q nonentity.
After his wife had spoken the above
words he folded up the letter he had
been reading, sheathed it in its envelope,
and resumed his breakfast.
Mrs. Archibald eyed him impatiently
for some time, and then said rather Sc
verely: "Well, Mr.. Archibald, if you can
find time to tell me, should like to know
he arrive? Pray don't choke!"
Tomorrow morning." answered the
old gentleman. "but not with cool mill
ION"
Something very near it then-only
little less"
Considerably less, my dear-a twenty
dollar note"
WHAT Please talk sensibly, Mr.. Arch
bald. hate jokes and riddles; l don't
understand them"
HE said he never had more than two
hundred thousand dollars, and that he
lost last week in st. Louis at cards. You
know his weak point. He always would
play. Everybody CANDLES at the mines.
He sat up two days and two nights over
the game they call faro, and left the
table with fifty dollars in his pocket.
When he arrives here he will have about
twenty He intends to begin the world
again, and suppose we shall have to
take care of him till he can get an open
ing"
Mrs. Archibald had turned deadly
pale. She seized her husbands letter
and hastily read it through. Yes, it was
quite true, and John Warbeck was COM
ing back after so long an absence, just
as he had gone-a beggar.
Every WELL" said his affectionate sis
ter. I'm take care to teach the gentle
man that this is not the almshouse He
always was a fool, but he shall find that
am not one at any rate"
Fanny eyed her mamma with some
curiosity. All the past week she had
heard nothing but praises of Uncle
Johns shrewdness and industry, and
particularly of his self sacrifice and good
sense in never marrying.
IF anything should happen, my love
Tho is old, you know. and has led
wearing ife-it would-distress me be-
yond measure. l should never recover,
fear. But you see, Fanny, everything
positively every penny he has-would
go to you You must be very attentive
to your uncle, darling"
So mamma had previously often said,
and now the change of sentiment was
as startling as it was sudden. Instead
the new instructions were: "Your uncle
has no claim upon us, child. You must
take very little notice of him."
Yannie was pretty and also good
girl, and she felt very much distressed
at the idea of i'll treating her poor old
uncle, and so when Lucius Mallory came
that evening she confided everything to
him.
Lucius was her admirer, under strong
protests from the maternal head of the
house, as his pecuniary prospects were
ut present rather dismal, but he was al
lowed to visit the young lady once or
twice week, strictly as friend, and |
think it needs no conjurer to tell us that
the two young people were not dream
ing Of any such thing as marriage. AS
to the ring in the little trunk up stairs,
kept always locked up, where it came
from and what it meant. express no
opinion.
Indeed it would be a shame, and real
ly a sin, Fannie, said Lucius firing up, for
he was young and chivarous. eff you
must treat the old gentleman coolly in
public-I mean before your mamma
you ought TO let him know the reason
In private"
And this is just what Fannie deter
mined to do.
So the next morning Uncle John ar
rived. He was tall and raw boned and
gray, and certainly very rough in his ap-
pearance; but he had an honest, smiling
face, and wonderfully hearty way
about him that certainly would have
won the kindness and sympathy of al
most anybody except Mrs. William
Archibald.
William Archibald himself shook hands
with the old man, and was rather cordial
despite the menacing eye Of his wife;
but she was grand and distant, and as
suredly so marked in her bearing that
its meaning could not be misunderstood.
When Fannie kissed her uncle her
mamma's fingers tingled to infict cer-
tain nursery chastisement long disused,
but the elder lady commanded her
temper and only said, "Fannie, you
have not watered the flowers, / think"
Uncle John seemed rather surprised.
He had received reams of letters from
his sister Clara imploring him to pay his
long promised visit, and how he boasted
to his friends of the kind hearts that
were beating with so much warmth and
good feeling toward him.
"They will eat me up!" he had said,
over and over and over, his corded and
weather beaten face radiant with happy
anticipations. "It makes fellow feel