The Southern herald., 1900-08-17
NEVIL'S UNCLE JERRY

As the junior partner Of the old
established firm of solicitors, Gale,
Tempest & Hopkinson, Of Lincoln's
Inn Fields, l was brought into the
closest touch with the office staff,
and so was intimately cognizant of
The personal peculiarities and with
the disposition Of its various constit-
uents.
One old clerk, who had started as
office boy to the firm named, was
called S. Nevil, but his baptismal
patronymic was generally shortened
by bis confreres into Snivel, a name
which described his temperament to
fine point. He was mean-spirited,
ittle-minded hound, and more suited
TO stool in pettyfogging solicitors
office, where he could have toadied
to the rich clients and bullyragged
poor debtors, than in the highly re-
spectacle and respected one in which
I had an interest. How he mad been
kept on so long was a mystery to
many, but it was mainly through my
instrumentality The fact is that
Neyil fell i'll with influenza, an6 dur
ing his absence his wife called for
some wages due to him. | saw and
was greatly impressed by her, Her
manners were those of a woman Of
gentle birth and breeding, but her
face, which was neither handsome nor
even good looking, had those line;
of patient suffering (Which plainly told
her story. There was no need to ask
her it, for it was plainly enough writ
ten; 1t was not the struggle to bring
up half a dozen children and make
ends meet on the usual small weekly
wage that Nevil earned, and that
would be hard enough-it was Nevil
himself. l readily guessed that by
domestic tyranny he found an outlet
for his petty nature which his own
sex would not allow him to exercise
on them.
After seeing his wife l resolved
that Nevil'S place in our office was
to be permanent so long as | could
use my influence in his behalf, and
at Christmas but that is outside
the story.
One morning as Nevil came into
my office with some letters for sigma
ture | was struck with his woeful ap-
pearance, and, as | have foreshad-
owed my interest in his family af-
fairs, it was natural that l should
ask what was the matter with him.
"a dreadful and shameful 'oax
has been played on me, Mr.. 'Opkin-
son, sir" he said. Nevil was always
erratic with his his when "put out"
"Sit down, my man, and tell me all
about 1t" | said, for, much as dis
liked the man, could not help feel
ing sorry for him, so distressed did be
seem.
"You know" he continued, "that
we have always looked forward to
Uncle Jerry leaving some Of his
wealth to us or the children when the
end came"
"Well, Nevil," l interrupted, "has
he died?"
"No, sir; worse than that. am
afraid l would not be so cut up about
that, but he has played such a dirty
trick on me and mine that | am as
much disgusted as disappointed"
As l saw be was bursting to tell me
bis sorrows told him to proceed with
the story of his wrongs.
"You must know that Uncle Jerry
last Christmas, as was his usual Gus
tom, invited all his poor relations to
dine with him. | don't mean all our
children, as well as the 'grown-ups;'
no, he did not like children well
enough for that, even if his house
could have held them, which it could
not. Mo- only the parents, and there
were enough Of them to crowd good
sized table.
"After a satisfactory but plain din
ner we disposed ourselves in little
groups, some at cards and others to
chat. The night passed smoothly, ez-
cepting that two cousins got excited
in political argument. These even
ings wound up with doeh an doris,
or speech from our host, and then,
after singing Aud Lang Syne,' we
would separate. The speech last
Christmas was memorable one, and
remember each word burnt itself
into my memory as it fell from Uncle
Jerry's lips.
"My dear relatives, he com