Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-08-09
Uncle (dfeb55 Wifi

, y
elf ont Ia give your mothers brother
NIGHTS la7gine." said Caleb Cheyerel
bitterly
TIE Nroh wind. bearing dnst, grit
ar3 bits Of Agias raper on it, restless
wings, eams whistIng around the cor
ner. lifted the old mans faded com.
fcrtcr's ends >Hd turned his blue nose
"A shade hlH.r =sjll while Mrs Larkins
lis eldest niece, stood in her doorway,
filing up the aperture with her ample
person Ia such way as 10 suggest the
familiar legend. mo admittance.
"I1n very sorry" said Mrs Larkins
etiflly "but we have but one spare
room aud that is at present occupied.
OF conTse l should be glad to do all |
could t4r son. but
- understand. l understand " said
TneIe Cheyerel, turning coldly away
IN 20 to my niece Jenny. l wish
you very good evening"
Mrs Larkins closed the door with a
siah # very evident relief
Il dare say Jenny will take care of
him" she said philosophically. Jenny
has a smaller family than l have But
| cont see why he came up to London.
instead of staying peaceahly down in
Tortoise Hollow. where he belongs"
Mrs Jenny Eldertop. Mr.. Cheverel's
youngest niece, had smaller family
than her sister Rebecca; hut. then, she
had smaller income as well. She had
just finished n vigorous days cleaning
when Uncle Caleb was announced.
"Oh, drat tho man. said Mrs. FL
dertop, wrinEiHI her rarbciled fingers
out OF a basin If steaming soapsuds
What sends him here Of all the times
in the worldz"
And she went down stairs ungraci-
ously enough to the street door. where
her husband was welcoming the old
stranger.
SCENE in. Uncle Cheverel. come in. ="
said honest Will Eldertop. Were all
upside down here-we mostly are, now
that the spring cleaning Is going on
But there's room for you IL you don't
mind the children and their 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 and darn
ing needles" at the visitor. while in her
Utmost soul she calculated the prob
ability Of the cold boiled ham and tur
nips holding out for one more at supper.
"Come, Benny, don't scowl SO, +" said
Mr.. Eldertop. when Uncle Caleb had
gone up stairs to wash his hands and
face. "Ain't he your uncle?'
IA good for nothing old vagabond.
said Mrs. Eldertop acidly. without a
halfpenny laid up ahead"
"For all that he's your guest" said
her husband, land you re bound to be
civil to him. And here's his overcoat
now with a big zigzag rent in it. just
mend it while you re waiting for the
kettle to boil.
II WON'T" said Mrs. Eldertop.
"All right" retorted 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
jealousy of her for the last four years
You Il do no such thingi" said Jen-
ny tartly. Hand it herel"
And she threaded needle with black
silk and thrust her finger into thimbie
very much as determined crusader Of
old might have donned sword and shield
for some encounter with the Moslem.
whats thatl" said Mr.. Eldertop,
for folded paper fell from the pocket
Of the garment AS his wife tuIn ned it up
side down.
"Some tomfoolery or other" answer
ed Mrs. Jenny brusquely.
II fancy you re mistaken, said Mr..
Eldertop. "It's the rough draft of a
will"
"But he's got nothing to leave" re-
torted Mrs Eldertop
'I'm not SO certain of that, retort-
ed Will Just look here, Jenny! 4
give and bequeath to my two beloved
nieces, in equally divided parts. the
sum of e10, coo, at present invested in
consols, and -
go onp' said Mrs. Eldertop breath
lessly. ''Read the rest.
''There is no rest" said her hus.
band. That's the end of the paper.
It's only rough draft, tell you. And
now what's your opinion of Uncle
Cheverels fortunes p
"He's been miser all along" said
Mrs. Eldertop, her face growing radiant,
making up poor mouths and travelling
around the country with all this money
in the funds, regular old character
Just like those one reads about in
novelist Put il back, Will; put it back.
We've no business to be prying into
Uncle Caleb secrets But what bless
ing it is he came here instead of stop
ping at Rebecca Larkins' .
And when Uncle Cheverel came down
stairs he was surprised at the sweet
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