Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-06-07

make any excuse for getting rid of them
then, did he? l declare. they've no
more hearts than SO many slabs of
granite. >
At this moment, however, there was
ring at the bell and two fair. tressed,
slim young girls rushed breezily into
the room. dragging a brown,faced old
farmer between them.
It's Dora and me, +" said Honora Bar
chester, breathless and red-cheeked
= And we have brought Uncle Zabdiel
with us, :"
Uncle Zabdiel's round.moon face
bealned all over.
expect be pretty stupid said he.
but guess should a fetched round
all right if these ere girls hadn't took
possession of me. Where's the bag o.
hickory nuts, HonoryT Who's got the
basket O. pound sweets, Eudory2 Here's
the earpet-sack and the paper box all
right.
BE shook hands heartily with Mrs.
Ransom and Lucy
How be you, PhebeH' pursued he.
2'' And little Lucy, too4 Got to be
woman, hain't you? Livin' with the
judges folks, supposer But where's
Madeline and my little favorite, Bess?"
| Lucy and her mother looked hesitat-
ingly ut each other, but Honora plunged
| into the question Mt once
I'm tell you, Uncle 2abdiel," said
she. Nora and / aren't fools, nor yet
children-and Madeline and Bess have
treated MS shamefully, and so we're
| going to be revengcd by telling their Sc
crets. They're going to have an At
Home and they've invited lot of grand
people, and when they got your letter
they decided they didn't want YOU
Heyf" cried Uncle zabdiel
Yes,' cried Eudora. taking up the
thread of the discourse, g the mean. un.
grateful things all that dear, de-
lightful summer Mt Blacldord farm, that
saved Bess's good d-for-nothing life, they
laughed at your cowhide boots and chin
whiskers, and Madeline made believe to
cough out loud just rs You do some.
times and -
Well, l declareI said Uncle Zab,
diel relieving his bronchial tubes by the
same identical cough and growing very
red
And so, again chimed in Honora,
'you We're to be made believe that we
lived at IL Currant court and kept out of
the way of the company"
that trouble, said old Uncle Zabdiol,
letting his head drop ON his two hands.
IF they hndn' wanted me, why didn't
they say sog want no one to peril their
souls by telling falsehoods on my ac.
count"
Both the girls flew Mt Uncle Zabdiel
with hugs and kisses.
" We love You, Uncle Zabl" said Dora,
vehemently. We heard il all, even
after Madeline drove us ont of the room.
We listened at the register and we made
up our minds you shouldn be -
Deceived and put uponl" Nora
struck in. And please don't be vexed
with us because we are Madelines and
Bess's little sisters It's quite true what
Dora says. We do love you. We are
tired of being scolded by the girls and
snubbed by papa. Please, Uncle zab.
mayn't we go back to the farm with you
and be dairygirls or milk1nnids or some
thing of that kind? I'm awful fond of
chickens and Dora can weed the onions
and shell corn. Please Uncle ZabI''
The old man suddenly Strengthened
himself up and dashed the big drops
from his eyelashes.
No, girls, said he, "noi That amt
my notion. I've sold the old farm to
Il railway and have made good bar
gain, so folks say. guess I'm what
my cousin, Judge Dorchester, would call
rich man, and was. coming up here 10
end my days with my relations and leave
'eln my money after was dead But
everything's different now. I'll hire Il
house here, Phebe Ransom-here In New
York-and you and Lucy shall be my
housekeepers. And I'll adopt Nora and
Dora for my own Yes, girls, I've no
daughters and you shall take the place
to me-
Oh, Uncle Zabdielr ecstatically
shrieked Dora and Nora with one accord.
Bess Barchesters "At Home was n
very tame affair. The funny man did
not come at all Miss Dale had such Il
cold that I.r voice made no impression
on the company. The wrong people all
c;lne, and the right people all stayed
away. Altogether it scored as future,
III spite of Aadeline's heroic efforts.
BY the way, girls, said the Judge,
as he opened the morning paper at the
morrow's late and insipidl breakfast.
you really must write for your old
Uncle Cooper to come up here and take
some notice of him. 1t seems he has
sold the old place to some railroad com.
pany, who are going to build up mon.
ster hotel there. with lot of mineral
springs or some such money making CON
triyance. Downe told me all about it at
the club. They call the old man the
Blacldord Millionaire l don't think
he has many relations but ourselves.
See to it, will you, Madelinef You al.
ways We're the family manager"
Yes, said Madeline, gloomily, and
1 begin to think I've managed all the
life ont of it,
Uncle Zabdiel. however, declined to
oe taken notice OF. and great was the
wrath of the judge and his two eldest
daughters when they discovered the
march that Dora and Nora had stolen on
them.
"If your uncle wishes to adopt any
one. fumed Judge Barchester, " there's
Madeline has the family brains. and Eess
the family beauty"
And Nora and Dora have all the
heart and soul there is in the family"
quietly observed Uncle Zabdiel. SOL
calculate / wont alter my arrange
ments."
after the Grip Hoods sarsaparilla will re-
store your strength and health. and expcl