Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-06-14

the city winch naQ Deen OHereu MIN,
and lived the life Of an idle man on
the very slender income his parents
aad left him, and the prospects Of help
from his rich, eccentric uncle.
They had been married nearly a
year now, and two happier people
never lived out Of paradise; but their
income was only a small one and there
were prospects Of another little mouth
to feed. They had never quite given
up hope that in the nick of time the
eccentric uncle would turn up like the
godmother in the fairy story, and now
had come this awful, ill-written letter,
ton Of his wife-he probably forgot
to mention she was dead. Maisie
spread it out upon the table, and once
more deciphered as much as she could,
practically spelling out each symbol.
"I'm bringing over my two lovely
twin boys; you will be delighted with
them; they're the image Of Rose q
suppose that Is his wife,. 'They yell
good deal at night-all boys do, but
you can rig them up out Of the way
where they will disturb no one.'
"Oh, Eric, how can we find room for
them all?"
Twin boys? It looks to me like
twin frogs never saw such writ
ing. caesar and Brutus! Did you
ever hear such names for children
They're heather names, too. Awful
And then Maisie gave faint shrek
as she looked at the envelope, for it
had been posted, not in Sydney, but
In London! True to his eccentric in
stincts, Hardcastle had thought, as he
intended to come over, and as the next
vessel would carry the mails, includ-
ing his letter, he might just as well
bring the letter over in his pocket and
post it in town.
I'VE must prepare room for pos
sible wife and nurse, and we shall
want wee bed for the twins, Eric"
And, quite unconsciously, the little
woman glanced toward a wee bed
which was being prepared for another
little tenant, and there was an ex-
preston on her face which made Eric
bend over her and kiss her.
| They turned out Of their own room
to make room for Lord and Lady
Hardcasrle, hired wee bed, and placed
| it with a bed for the nurse in the
| dressing-room. Eric few out and or
dered unheard-of luxuries, and had
scarcely returned when a carriag
drove up.
Maisie was sitting in the drawing
room, eight feet by eight, trying to
look dignifed, and Eric himself went
to the door. He hesitated for a mo-
ment to open it-he had preceded their
little servant-and, ere turning the
handle, heard:
'You can go back to town, John, or
whatever your name is, and take the
twins-why, where the devil are the
stables?"
Now, there are no stables in Pal.
myra Villa-far from 1t.
And then Eric opened the door. A
little man as brown as a berry. as
hard as nails all over, with gray hail
and eyes, and an alert look, was Jack
Hardcastle. He did not attempt to
shake hands. Small as he was, he
seemed to fill the narrow hail.
"Well, young man, what have you
to say for yourselfT
II am glad to see you, uncle"
"Of course, Of course-only natural;
but do you mean to say that on five
hundred a year you can't occupy a
larger dog-kennel than this?'
Il am only earning two-fifty, un-
cle."
do you mean to say Spooner &
Co. are not paying you five hundred a
year."
mo, sir-why should they?"
Because l told them to, of course
they're my solicitors. l own l forgot
| had arranged to grease your wheels
bit for you before 1 left England last
dear me, that's seven years ago
and when did think of it-let me see,
| was in the Andamans them wrote
myself-and in my own handwriting,
to make sure-and told them to pay
you five hundred a year as long as
you behaved yourself, and 1 got ca
bic back months afterward-I was in
Mexico then: Five hundred punches
Of bananas not arrived. l couldn't un-
derstand what they meant suppose
there was something the matter with
my handwriting"
Maisie could stand this no longer
She had stopped looking dignified, and
was crumpled up with undignified
laughter. So she came out and intro
duced herself, and the little gray man
kissed her.
But you are not alone. unclsr'