The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-01-12
wsss caGGk MGGrs GREEK.

Mesfy Mrk. Bayces howtNefs phaa Wy
had Al opes letter natiersa from bel
hssd. She dropped iinply io,o the near
eat chair. ll's your @ randuncle Timothy
she sssPed.
Dead asked AlmA
No. replied Ms. Bolee. Hes coming
n spet d ,ir weeks with Ne.
Ia Il cur turnY asked Alma
Yes, taid MIS-. B)ye', tie pat cur tafn
Poor Mrs Boyce WIS greatly periufbsd
she had fpeut tryIps morning with gum
bling Alms, snd although trying mornings
with that i1coDsiderste young person were
no boyely, their frqaent recurrence maze
them no eatl 10 bear. GrsDduncle Timo.
thy's news found the poor tatgered lady
quite united for .ha receiving Of anI
pectsd evil ,idlfgs.
Iudeed, clofe association with Aims when
the girl was bavirg her wardrobe replen
l,hed would have uuiitted any body Tor
snytbiug. 10 the nrst place, there was the
choosing OF the goods, fearfuiiy Trying
proces,. for no material, however besuliiul
was precisely the shade that Alma bad set
her affections on, Mrs. Boyce, who had
supposed herself, until disillusioned by
Alma, fairly ,kIllfal with her needle, al
ways did the family dreamaking. For
.weet-tempered, easily pleased Ruth, two
wears older than Aims, the task was
genuine pleasure; but sewing for the
voupger Girl WAS burd n almost too great
to be borne.
During her small sirlbood Alma had
been delicate, and, 1t mus! be confessed, de
cid dly ill.tempered.
As she grew oleer the grew stronger
but, unfortunately, so did her temper
There were moments--usually when sle
was amorg strapgers-- when he was falrIy
amiable, but there were o'her moments
when the girls outbursts OF acute dissatis
faction drove hsrIassed Mrs. Bryce to the
verge Of nervous prostration.
I'd rather have every tooth In my head
extracted, the poor lady had col led to
Ruth that morning, than make that tan
etamIne for Alma but she was so dissstis.
Il d the last time ! employed seamstress
that I'm simply afraid to try 1t again.
Are you going to make II like my blue
taiiets Ruth had asked.
No ANA says she doesn't like the Ileats
that she WON'T have tucks, rrills or bias
folds, and that oH.the. shoulder Effects are
going out.
What does she wantr
Well, so far, said discouraged Mrs.
Boyce, she has spent three hundred and
sixty -four days q year mentioning things
shc doesn't want, so che hasn't had time to
ssy what she does want. She's precisely
like your fathers uncle Timothy. ! sup.
pose spoiled her when she was little. II
/ had II all to do over again I'D bring her
up differently.
At that moment peevish voice had
npsted down the stairway, Mother, 1t wall
cd fretfully, did hear you say you were
going to have tomato soup for dinner! !
am Just sick Of tomato soup.
What klrd do you want? asked far too
tolerant Mrs. Boycs.
On, | don't know. Alma had returned, ,
impatiently. Anything but tomato or bean
or pea soup or mutton or
How would you like potato soup'
! hate potato soup. Isn't there some
kind we've never hsds
Afterward, for almost two hours, Mrs.
Boyce, with ;asbion-plates and patterns
all around her, hsd gized defparingly at
the tan etamine. For the came length OF
time Alma had dsspproved OF every sug-
geslion her mother had tllered. Then
came uocle Timotby's unexpected letter
Uncle Timothy was, II such thing were
possibl', tvsn harder to please than Alma.
Possibly there was some slight excuse
for irssciblity In his case, for from infancy
he had been troubled with nervous dy'pep
sla.
Naturally, he was rot desirable visitor,
which was peculiarly unfortunate as visit.
was poor Uncle Timotby's only occupation.
Invariably II was Uncle Timothy's aeon.
venient hsbit to apnourc- his coming by
one train and to arrive on the next, giving
the prospective host or hostess no oppor-
tuoi.y TO escape the threatened visit. His
letters never failed to II i the recipient with
yet Ufcle Timothy led re-
~ .c,sble, upright life, bad no vices except
ne one ee Of universal dissstisfaction
with everyone and everything, ard Was
neat 10 appearance. He was
old. he had no children Of his own, and
each one of bis iiJck OF grown-up nieces
and nephews felt he was entitled to conside-
ration and tolerance but entertaining ua.
Gle Timothy was cerssinly more duty
that ri assure.
Mrs. Bryce lived farihest from Uncle
He had Mt noyer-to. be -forgo.
ten weeks with the nervous little woman
when Ruth WAS eight years old, but for
eleven years she had, owing to distance,
escaped second vlsit.
Now she WAS to have tix seeks Of ncle
Tim oihy -- too much for auy woman 10 con-
template with ,qaanimitT. Al h'st she
sst limp ard dsj cttd Pretenily she be
gs1 absent mlndedly to sLip uucle Timo-
thy letter into tiny fragments. /. looked
to the two girls, who we're busy with their
EN- oroidery, as II their ismsyed mother
were deeply engaged 10 max Ing plans for
the comfort Of The coming guest, but they
were mis,,k.n.
GlrIs, said Ms. Boyce. rising fuddenly,
AZ / 10 her agitation fc.tteri log small snow
drift Of psper on The rug, ! know its COW
Ardly. Il knos ought to b. ashamed Of
myself, bat I'm all worn oot. J haven't
q scrap Of courage snt--aifls, I'm goirg TO
run away
gaa sway echoed Aims.