Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-12-21
Uncle Clleverel's Will.
nY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

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You mean that you can't put your
self out Se give your mothers brother
nigaS lodging!" said Caleb tCaeS>
erel, bitterly.
The black March wind, bearing
dust and grit and bits of flying paper
on its restless wings, came whistling
around the corner, lifting the old
mans faded comforter's ends and
burning his blue nose q shade bluer
still while Mrs. Lew Larkins, las
telssst niece, stood in her doorway,
Giling up the aperture with her ample
person in such a way las to suggest
) the familiar legend, nNo. admittance!"
Mrs. LarkiRs was stout and bloom
ing and .caerry-cheeked, dressed in
substantial alpaca, with gay gold
brooch and eardrops. which bespoke
apything but abiect poverty,
Uncle Caleb was thin and heagre
and shabbily dressed, with glossy
seams in his oyerccat md inger-ends
protruding from his worn, gloves like
ancient rosebads coming out of their
.esiyx.
'.ra very sorry," said Mrs. Lar
hins, stifay; ''but we have but obs
:srare room, and that is at present oc-
cupied. OF course I should be glad
to do all that,I could for YOU, but
..I understand, I understand said
Uncle Cheverel, turning coldly awey.
s'Ill go to my niece JerushA / wish
you very good evening
Mrs. Larkins closed the door, with a
sigh OF very evident relief.
T.ttare say ,Jerusha will take care
of. him, . she said, philosophically.
<:JerHsle has a. smaller family than I
have. But I don't see why he came
up to town, instead Of staying
peacefully down in Tortoise Hollow,
where he belongs"
Mrs. Jerusha Eldertop, Mr.. Chever-
= Youngest aiece, had smaller fam
thstn her sister Rebecca, but then
J. Sne b9ed Smaller incomeas well. She
~, s 9insb finished q vigorous days
sa,. s 90 Pifg when Uncle, Caleb was an; an;
lced. ;s..
Itlfaatt eman!" said MrSEfder-
Top, wringing her parboiled fingers
out OF basin of steaming soap-suds;
''what sends him here, just now, Of
all times in the world?"
And she went downstairs, ungra-
ciousl5 enough, to the little entry,
where her husband was Ne'coming the
sld stranger.
Come in, Uncle Cheverel-come
in!'' said honest Eben Eldertop.
"We're all upside down here-we
mostly are, now that the spring clean
ing is going on. But there's room
for you, if you don't mind the children
and the noise. and little smell Of
whitewash in the spare ROOM"
Mrs. Eldertop's welcome was by no
means SO cordial. She looked, to use
common expression, vinegar AMI
darning needles" at the visitor, while
in her inmost soul she calculated the
probability of the cold boiled ham and
turnips holding out for one more at
supper.
s'Come, Jesusha, don't scowl so"
said Mr.. Eldertop, when Uncle Caleb
had gone upstairs to wash his hands
and face. ''Ain't he your uncle?"
ga good-fos- nothing oldvagabond, :"
said Mrs. Eldertop, acidly, without a
cent laid up ahead!''
'sFor all that. he's your guest"
said her husband, "and you're bound
to be civil to him. And here's his
overcoat now, with big zig-zag rent
in it. Just mend it, while you're
waiting TO. the kettle to boil.
<T won't" said Mrs. Eldertop.
'"All right" retorte:l her lord and
master. ''Then I'll take it next door
TO Alexia Allen to mend"
Now. Miss Allen, the tailoress, who
lived in the adjoining house, was
pretty and buxom to look upon, and
Mrs. Eldertop had nursed comfortably
"a jealousy of her for the last four
years.
you'll do no such thing" said
Jerusha, tartly. Gland it here::''
And she threaded n needle with
black silk and thrust her finger into
thimble, very much as q. determined
Crusader of old might have douned
sword and shield for some encounter
with the Moslem.
"What's tnat?" said Mr.. Eldertop.
for folded paper fell from the pocket
of the garment as his wife turned it
upside down.
,"Some tomfoolery OF other," an
swered Mrs. Jcrusha, brusquely:
81 guess you're mistaken, "said Mr..
Elde.top. ''Its therouga draught of
will.
'.But he's got nothing to leave"
shrieked Mrs Eldertop.
'.I'm none so. certain of that" re-
torted Eben. Just look here, Jerusha!
q give and bequeath to my two be-
loved nieces, in equally divided parts,
the sum of $40, 900, atpresent invested
in United States securities, and"
SEQ onr' said Mrs Eldertop, breath
lessly. "Read the rest
:sThere is no rest said her hus-
band. "That's the end of the paper.
It's only rough draught, I tell you.
And now, what's your. opinion of
Uncle Cheverel's fortunes?"
tHe's been miser all along" said
Mrs. Eldertop, her face growing radi
ant. Making up poor mouths and
travelling around the country with all
this money in treasury bonds! A reg
ular old character-just like those one
reals about in novels. Put it back,
Eben-put it back. We've no business
to be D. 7ing into Uncle Caleb's Sc
crets; but what blessing it is he
came here, instead of stopping at Re-
becca Larkins'?"
And when Uncle Cheverel came
down stairs he was surprised at the
sweet smiles with which his niece
Jesusha welcomed him.
ssBeen mending my coat, elf?' said
Uncle Cheyerel. s'Thank'ees kindly.
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