The Washington times., 1904-03-26

THE EVENING STORY

the town stores Beverley told himself
on the passage over. "Of course. I
shan't recognize him. It's lucky
thought to send Bob my picture to give
him, or he wouldn't know me. I dare
say he may be waning to get married
one of these days. Wen, I have enough
to support a nephew's family as well as
a nephew"
He was horribly i'll during the trip.
not altogether with NAL de mer either.
There was nobody at hand to remind
him that he was an old man now and
must take care Of himself; so he stayed
out in the damp and got twinges, and
ate late surpers when he ought TO have
been in ID. But worst Of all was his
loss of zest in living. He saw himself
passed by for younger men or famous
ones, or for those to whom his fellow
passengers were drawn by bonds Of
family attachment
And then. just before the port was
sighted, a new fear smote him. Rob OF
Roy or Rod. whichever It was, would
only take a sorG1d interest in him. be-
cause he was the traditional rich uncle
coming home with money to spend on
him. What fool he had been TO write
and say that he had anythingi He
ought to have proved the fellow first,
as was generally done in the story
books.
Altogether. Beverley Crane was a
very unhappy individual when the Mys-
tic swung into her berth In New York
| He was one Of the last to hnger on
deck If his nephew had come to meet
him. he must give the fellow an oPpor-
/ tunity 10 pick him out
/ BY threes and tours his fellOw-vOy-
ayers melted into the arms Of their
, friends and the hands of the custom
inspectors. until Beverley. with his
whitened Iockssand high color, was left
quite a solitary and conspicuous object
on the wharf
Then there was a patter of small legs
across the planking.- little cry Of
'@Unc' Bevi" and Beverley turned 10
see the Kidlet Of twenty-five years back
with the same Glue eyes. yellow curIs
and sailor cap, making straight toward
/ him.
The man didn't stop 10 theorize. He
just stopped and gathered the little
chap into his arms. When ne put him
down again he found himself in the cen
/ ter Of a circle Of three fine looking
young men. hanked by as many pretty
women. with two small girls on the out
skirts. and nurse or so lowering in
the vicinity There was a footman on
hand too. and no less than three car
riages, and when Beverley was finally
seated in one Of them, the Kidlet on his
/ knee. he felt so touched and happy and
thoroughly ashamed Of himself that he
was afraid to trust his voice.
So for awhile he didn't risk speaking,
but simply sat and listened, while Rod
ney, the small boys father, explained
that they thought il would take him
back TO old times to be with little Rod.
and that he wouldn't mind making his
home with them
You see. Uncle Bev.'' he added.
we're all three married and settled
down pretty comfortably in New York.
So and Rodney's sentence traiIed off
/ Into a caution TO little Rod not to get
/ too near the window.
And that night, when old Beverley
could stop feeling ccntented long enough
10 puzzle his brain over a problem, he
tried TO decide whether it was Rodney,
after all. that had been his favorite.
| And downstairs Rodney was remarking
to Mrs. Rodney, TO be sure, M dear
not one Of US needs Uncle Bev's money
I but l should hate to have him suspect
that we haven't the fosgiest notion
which one Of US boys was his favorite
If you hadn't happened to think of lit
! tie Rod as a happy compromise there
would have been an awkward moment
down at the pier this morning"
The moral of whfSh is-but in a case
where every one lived happily ever after
there is no need Of a moral