Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-09-20
descended to the kitchen and took old
! Susan into her confidence, much to
/ chat good Woman's astonishment.

descended to the kitchen and took old
| Susan into her confidence, much to
| that good womans establishment.
Law, Miss Gertie, faint possible!''
said Susan. eve been in the family
sence them men was byes, an Mr..
John was alwuz queer, an clus, an
'cumulative-but for all that, kind an
honest as the daylight But that there
Mr.. Silas-alwnz wild an shiftless, If
nothin' wuss-he worritted your poor
granma mos to death. An from what
see, faint at all likely he's changed
| his ways"
! The plain statement rather shook
the foundations of the air castle which
Gertie had begun to build; but still,
on thinking it over, she decided that
olds Susan might be wrong, and es-
pecially as she acknowledged that she
hadn't heard nothin' about Mr.. Silas
an his ways" since he left his home to
seek his fortune in South America. so
many years ago.
So Gertie took great pains to be very
polite and attentive to Uncle Silas, and
! especially in the evenings, when Uncle
John went out for his solitary walk.
She had begun to pride herself upon
the impression she was making, when
one night he suddenly inquired:
Are you the one with a theory
about the boy and the needle and
workbag?"
mo, that was Nellie," she STAN
mered, while she vainly tried to recall
her own disparaging remarks about
the listener on that memorable after
noon.
But whatever Uncle Silas had over
heard, he evidently was not angry. for
he seemed to be enjoying her en-
barrassment.
But you mended my coat" he per-
sisted.
'N-no, that was Nellie, too
lob, begin to see. Nellie found
the gold piece, and you spent it; call
that fair division Of labor"
II made her keep it, said Nellie.
quickly coming to the rescue of her
unhappy sister. "Gertie tried to give
it to me, but there was nothing hap
pened to want, so wouldn't take it"
"Oh," said Uncle Silas, ''then ap-
parently Gertie did want something
just at that moment?"
'rm always wanting something"
murmured Gertle. 81 do wish 1 was
richl"
Uncle Silas actually chuclled over
this reply; then, as Nellie became alb
sorbed in her book again, he bent for
ward and laid his bony hand upon
Gerties arm.
You're smart he said, land you'll
be rich, too, one of those days, or I'll
miss my guess"
Then he began to relate such mar
velous stories of the wealth of South
America that she was more than ever
convinced he had not returned from
there without fortune.
Far from sharing Gertie's romantic
belief, Nellie did not for a moment
dream of the hold it had taken upon
her sisters magma ton. But already
Gertie had began to throw out mys-
terious hints to her classmates about
her uncle's wealth, and an exagger-
ated story of the gold piece was going
the rounds of the school. She could
not help mourning little in secret, at
the possibility of being separated from
her sister; for it was evident that
Uncle Silas was quite Indifferent to-
wards Nellie, and so it could hardly
be expected that he would treat them
both with equal favor. But at the
same time she was very eager for him
to reveal his plans, and to enter the
life Of luxury he so often limited of to
her.
In the meantime Uncle Silas had
found much of his apparel as dilapi-
dated as the famous coat had been;
and as if to punish Gertie for her one
act of rebellion he brought her each
garment in its turn, and one by one
she meekly mended them, although
she hated sewing. No other hidden
gold piece ever rewarded her, but now
Uncle silas often slyly spoke of the
surprise" he had in preparation for
her.
The girls at school were growing
more and more curious, but hardly
more impatient than Gertie herself.
Her castle il, the air had grown so real
to her that never a morning came but