Alaska sentinel., 1905-08-10

and lived the life of an idle man on the very slender income his parents had left him. and the prospects of help from his rich, eccentric uncle.
 They had been married nearly a year now, and two happier peoepie never lived olt of paradise; but their | income was only a small one, and there were prospects of another little mouth 10 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. saying he haa twin boys. and no men ton of his wife-he probably forgot to mention she was dead. Maisie spread 1t 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 tha. is his wife, They yell a 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 I never saw such writ ing laeser and Brutus. Did you ever hear such names for children :? They're heather names. too. Awful"
 And then Malsie gave faint shriek as she looked at the envelope, for 1t 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, iuclud- l ing his letter, he might just as well bring the letter over in his pocket and l post 1t in town.
 We must prepare a room for pos sble wife and nurse, and We shall want a wee bed for the twins, Eric"
 And. quite unconsclously, the little woman glanced toward wee bed which was being prepared for another little tenant. and there was an ex- pression 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 | Hardcastie, hired a wee bed, and placed it with a bed for the nurse in the dresslng-room. Eric flew out and or dered unheard-of luxuries, and had scarcely returned when carriage drove up.
 Maisie was sitting in the drawing room, eight feet by eight, trying to look dignifed and Erie himself went to the coor. He hesitated for a mo- ment to open it-he had preceded their little servant-and, ere turning the handle, Beard:
 You can go back to town, John, or whatever your name is, and take the twins-Why, where the devil are the stablesf'
 Now, there are no stables in Pal myra Filla-far from it. And then Eric opened the door. A l little man as brown as berry, as hard as nails all over, with gray hair and eyes, and an alert look, was Jack Hardca stle. He did not attempt to shake hands. Small as he was, he seemed to fill the narrow hall
 Well, young man, what have you to say for yourselfT
 T am glad to see you, uncle"
 "Ot course, of course-only natural; but do you mean to say that on fivs hundred a year you can't occupy 8 larger dog than this?"
 T am only earning two-ffty, un- cle."
 Co. are not paying you five hundred a yeary
 No, sir-why should they"
 "Recause 1 told them to, of course-- they're my solicitors. I own l forgot had arranged to grease your wheels bit for you before left England last dear me, that's seven years ago and when l did think of it-let me see, I was in the Andamans then-I wrote myself-and in my own handwriting, to Inake sure-and told them to pay you five hundred year as long as tOu DeHdNth oulscll, anu SOl Il td- ble back months afterward-I was In Mexico then: Five hundred punches of bananas not arrived. l couldn't un- derstand what they meant-I suppose there was something the matter with my handwriting"
 Maisie could stand this no longer. She had stopped looking dignihed, and was crumpled up with undignifed laughter So she came out and intro duced herself, and the little gray man kissed her
 But you are not alone. uncle?"