Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-23
CHAPTER yI,

SaAf lEh AlA.
 UNCLE PETER BINEs COMES TC
 TOWN WITH HIS MAN.
 One day in December Peter Zines. O
 Montana City, dropped in on the fam
 iy-came with his gaunt length C
 limb, his kind, brown old face witl
 eyes sparkling shrewdly far back un
 der his grizzled brows, with his rough
 resonant, musical voice, the spring O
 youth in his step, ana the fresh. con fident strength of the big hills in hi. bearing. "%s
 He brought Billy Brue with him. z person whose exact social status some or Percival friends were never able tc fx with any desirable certainty. Thus Percival had presented the old man the morning after his arrival, to nc less person than Herbert Delancey livingston, with whom he had smoked 4as cigar of unusual excellence in the cafe ot the Hightower hotel.
 If you fancy that weed, MT. Zines, said Livingston, graciously, to the old man, I've a spare couple of hundred I'd like to let you have. The things were sent to me, but I find them rather stiffish. If your mans about the hotel I'll give him a card to my man, and let him fetch them.
 My man." queried Uncle Peter, and, sighting Billy Brue at that mo ment, why. yes, here's my man, now. z MT. Brue, shake hands with MT. Liy- ingston. Billy. go up to the address he gives you, and get some of these 7 se-gars. You'll relish 'em as much as 2 do. Now don't talk to any stran- gers. don't get run over and don't lose yourself"
 Livingston had surrendered q way ering and uncertain hand to the warm, reassuring clasp of MT. Brue.
 He ain't much fur style, Billy ain't,' Uncle Peter explained when that person had gone upon his errand, he ain't mite gaudy, but he's got friendly feelings"
 The dazed scion of the Livingstons had thereupon made conscientious tour of his clubs in a public hanson, solely for the purpose Of relating this curious adventure to those best quail fled to marvel at it.
 The old mans arrival had been quite unexpected. Not only had he sent no word of his coming, but he seemed, indeed, not to know what his reasons had been fer doing thing so unusual.
 Thought Id just drop in on you all and say 'howdy,'" had been his first avowal, which was lucid as far as it went. Later he involved himself in explanations that were both obscure and conflicting. Once it was that he had felt a sudden great longing for the life of gay city. Then it was that he would have been content in Montana City, but that he had under. taken the winter in New York out of consideration for Billy Brue.
 Just think of it." he said to Per. cival, that poor fellow ain't ever been east of Denver before now. It want good for him to be holed up out there in them hills all his life He hadn't got any chance to improve his mind" 1 Ee"Hf-. a{"He'd better improve his whiskers first thing he does" suggested Per. ctval. Hell be gold-bricked if he wears 'em scrambled that way around this place"
 But in neither of these explanations did the curious old man impress Per cival as being wholly ingenious.
 Then he remarked casually one day that he had lately met Higbee, who was on his way to San Francisco.
 T only had few minutes with him | while they changed engines at Green | River, but he told me all about you ! folks-what a fine time you was hay. in. yachts and card parties. and all ! like that. Higbee said a man ought | to come to New York every now and ] then, jest to keep from getting rusty"
 Back of this Percival imagined for a time that he had discovered Uncle Peters true reason for descending upon them. Higbee would have re- xaled him with wild tales of the New York dissipations. and Uncle Peter had come promptly on to pull him up. Percival could hear the story as Hig bee would word t, with the improving moral incident of his own son snatehed as a brand from the Tender loin." to live a life of impecuniOus use fulness in far Chicago But. when he tried to hold this belief. and 10 prove 1t from his observations. he was bound to admit it's falsity. For Uncle Peter had shown no inclination to art the part of an evangeI from the virtuOus west. He had delivered DO homilies. no warnings as 10 the fate Of people sho incontinently cut loose" He had evineed not the least sign of any disposition even 10 criticise.
 on the contrary. indeed. he appeared 10 Joy immensely iu PsreivalIs ~ay of life. He manifested a willingness and ! capacity for unbending la boon com panionship that were both of them quite amazinE to his accomplished grandson By degrees. and by virtue ,f being never st all ceusorious. he 'anilisrized himself with the younz mans habits and diversions He lis | .sned dsIishtesly 70 the tales Of his srge gambling losses. O. the bouts a. { ,oker. the fruitIsss venture ia Texas ,il land. the disastrous corner ia ~kssi. engineered sy Barnzz. and the Iaifo-nIy unsuocsssful efforts to (