Connecticut western news., 1891-12-17
A LIVELY OLD PAIR.

Harders Flint, Esq. lawyer, sat alone in his bachelors den in a big easy chair. his feet incased in q pair of dilapidated old slippers, resting on the fender, his hands thrust half way into his trousers pockets and his head bent forward until his chin rested on his breast On the table beside him lay a couple of newspa- pers and yellow covered law book. open at the page he had been consulting
 Lawyer Flint was deep i'll perplexing thought. to judge by the expression of his face, for his brow was clouded and his lips compressed, and occasionally he turned his head toward the open volume as if inclined to seek further aid from it. but with q slight shake of the head relapsed again into his former attitude.
 He had sat thus for d long time when there was q knock at the door.
 "Come in," said the lawyer, without looking up.
 A servant girl entered. handed him a note and withdrew.
 Lawyer Flint opened the note, read it. uttering an exclamation of impatience arose and paced up and down the room.
 'So Rolingold can't meet me tomor- row because it's Christmas," he nut tered, as he stalked across the floor: "t,v- cry day is important in this matter and yet he, the one most interested, delays procoodiny ya twcuuy-four hours simply be cause 1t happens to be Christmas. Cad! l can't see how business man like Rol- ingold can De so foolish. We'll" he con- tinued, ''let him take his holiday and < ,f I 1,,ft Ttfo and many a long day siuce Christmas interfered with my business"
 He returned to his chair, but the train of his thought had been interrupted and his face now wore a cynical, hard look as he gazed into the crackling fire. Once. long ago, his Christmas days had been bright, too, but their brightness was ob- scured by more vivid recollections of other Christmas times in later years, when ambition and disappointment and poverty and greed had steeled his heart and left no room for Christmas thoughts Oh, the years that he had worked and starved and hoarded to reach his present condition of comfortable independence! As he looked back upon them now his lips closed tighter and the bitterness deepened in his face.
 From a distant part of the house came the sound of music, and the laughter of children, and the hum of conversation. But the lawyer remained motionless with his head upon his breast.
 Rat-tat, rat-tat, rattle-tattle, rattle tattle. rat-tat. rattle-tattie, rat-tat tat.
 What was that? It seemed tu come from the closet at the other side uf the room. The lawyer went ever and opened the closet door: there Wa, nothing to be seen except d lot of old Jaw books piled upon the shelves and pair of heavy old boots on the floor. That noise ,nust have come from be- low stairs, after all" he said, but it seemed to be right in the room; sounded just like some one dancing on a bare floor"
 II was just thinking of Uncle Tom" :" he continued, "and there are the boots | the old man left here when he got his | new ones at the close of his visit, a | month ago. must tell Joe to-take them | away"
 He went over to the chair and sat down again. Uncle Tom" he said to himself. Bah! l hope he enjoyed his visit here. didn't. I'd go crazy with that blundering old man around me, nudging me and slapping me on the | back, trying to get a little fun out of me- as he said. with that everlasting, | good narured laugh of his. Christmas Il soon be lere,' he said, as he was leav- ing, n hope you'll brace up. Harders. | and enjoy yourself. I'd show you how to do it if could stay with you Well, wonder now what he'd do to show me how to enjoy Christmas?' said the law | yer, as he settled down in his chair. 1 Again the sounds of laughter and con- versation came faintly from below. The violins struck up lively air and | Rattle-te-tat-te, rattle-te- tat-te. rat-te- tattle-te-rattle-te-tat
 The lawyer looked quickly toward the closet, the door of which he had left open. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yes, there could be no mistake anout it, there were Uncle Toms boots stepping about on the closet floor, rat. tiing off the time with heel and toe, sidling across and back, right boot first | left boot first. up with the right. uI with the lett, and, as the music grew louder. up with both, crack! crack! the heels came together twice in the air landing on she fS,r in exact time witl the mu7ic, and finishing up with live ly rattle-tat- -te-ratT e-tattle, rat-tat-tat. Then they came briskiy over toward the astonished lawyer exactly as though they had feet and legs in them. Over tc the fire they walked. turned heels to- ward it and stood there wide apart.
 1nvoluntarily, Lawyer Flint glanced up as if expecting to see the ruddy. jovia face and pcrtly form of his Uncle Tom There were the boots just as the old mar