Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-11-24
UNCLE JOBS TURKEY
!. .Forevermoreln walls Mrs. Tom

How provokingln cries Mrs. Dick.
"But then he's reported rich, +" as
sarts Mrs. Harry, and if that is the
case it's assuredly one of those cases
that circumstances alter wonderfullyi'' r
81 don't believe he's a rich man, for
one, affirms Mrs. Tom, looking rueful-
ly at the letter in her hand. Why,
when I wrote to Uncle Job-of all the
names / do detest. Job comes first
when ] wrote aud ever SO delioatelF
hinted that I'd swallow my prejg-
dices -
"A terrible indigestjble mass you d
find EN-, Beli'
-ffand name Plantagenet Job if il
would be to the boys interest later in
life, what do you think he saida''
sspon't ask me, What did he say?'
His answer was terse enough and
brief enough to be easily remembered
He wrote: Dear niece, pray do not sad
die upon your son name Inever should
have chosen for myself had had the
smallest choice in the matter. If you
must call him for some Biblical person
age, | should suggest Malhalaleel as a
cognomen euphonious enough to har-
monize we'll with our family name, and
believe me- Niece Isabel, he will have
just as much of my good will when |
die, if that is your desire, as if he had
been named after your affectionate un-
Gle, JOB Altick.
"Of course he's as poor as poverty,
then, Bel Poor people are always the
witty ones, with sharp answers ever
ready at tongues pr pens points. One
of US for shall we take turns?l will be
sure to have old Uncle job foisted upon
us. and if it WASH t for those heavy
mortgages Harry has TO clear off in the
spring he would not mind. / know one
extra mouth to feed.
And if | had an extra bedroom to
eparei'' says Mrs Dick.
And If | had an extra couple OF
servantsi' whines Mrs. Tom To be
sure, if could be certain that he was a
wealthy man, itwould make q vast diff
ference, aud for the children sake -
sWhat a sordid sisteF-in-law | have,
TO be surei'' laughs Mrs. Harry. Speak
ing of the children, Bel, how is Plants
love affair coming on?'
st isn't on at all, Ruth; it's off,
and forever, hope =
"Bel Altick. what do you meansr
II mean that he shall never marry
that good for nothing Nan -
HMark my words, he will marry her,
and neither you nor Tom nor your pro-
posed heiress can keep him from it
Nam worth dozen Gwendolines
''Then Tom will disinherit him, and,
though he's my own son. shall not
blame his father. .
'sYou hard hearted, mercenary wom-
AMI cries Mrs. Harry, moving toward
the door. aHow you can deliberately
go to work to break the heart of so good
q son as Plant Altick ! confcssl cannot
comprehend Good morning, Belt
you think it's good-seems to me if
were you I'd be obliged to taste the bit
ter of too many selfish reflections to en-
Joy it much. And the hall door closes
with a bang between the sisters=in- law.
Days, weeks and months pass by, and
there is po outward showing of the pre-
sumptiye wealth of Professor Altick.
Save q penny now and then to the
smaller fry of the Altick family, he has
never shown to them the color of his
money, and as he lives simply and in
dulges sparingly in life's luxuries he is
at length accounted an eccentric indi
vidual of small means and left religious.
ly alone.
Alone ard uucared for--that is, if we
except the little friendly 'runnings in
of Plantagenet, his granddaughter, who
has taken TO the gentle old man from
the first. and who is never weary Of
hearing of the professor S late trip tC
the petrifed tree tract Of Arizona Oh
looking at the rare specimens so careful.
ly collected, for Uncle Job is learned
geologist and has written several re-
markable treatises on the subject, bis
Sermons. In Stones having beel
adopted as q textbook in many colleges.
And from stones Plantagenet easily
leads the conversation to scarcely less
adamantine subjects-the hearts of his
unyielding parents-for. cold. calculat
ing and worldly, they have softened ne
one whit u..der tho warmth of Plan
tagenet's young love, and it is Unclt
Job who unconsciously encourages hin
in his grim determination to brave tn
ire of his parents and marry his sweei
Nan in the teeth of all opposition
And SO they are quietly married
Plantagenet Altick and Nanette Gray
and go to housekeeping in pretty lit
tie cottage. in a pretty suburb, some
miles from the splendid city home O.
his father.
Uncle Job, who has begun new
work on geology, shuts himself up IL
his third story back room and allows ths
world without to wag as it will.
And it soon begins to wag in a very