Year: 1869

Richard Brown had lived a bach
elor for twenty years, and had de-
clared his intention of continuing
in the state of single blessed1ess for
the remainder of his life, greatly to
the satisfaction of his relatives, the
Hinkles, with whom he resided; for,
be it known, Uncle Richard was
worth a cool half million, and the
Hinkles were his only living rela
tions; and unless, as Mrs Hinkle
said, some "nasty charity came in
for his property, who should he
leave it to but his own cousins or
their children


Hopeful as poor humanity of Ion
gevity, Mr.. and Mrs. Hinkle scarcely
expected to survive their cousin,
who was their junior by ten years !;
but Adelaide, and Rose, and Viii
liam, might, in all probability, be
his heirs, and to this end the parents
labored. Uncle Richard had the
best room in the house, the best
chair, the most porticular consider
alton. His wishes were deferred to-,
and his advice taken on every occa-
sion: and he actually came to be
loved for, with all his quaint, old
fashioned ways, and his habit of sit
ting utterly silent, as though he had
been deaf and dumb, he was a love
able man. Matters progressed
smoothly enough until it was habit
and not hypocrisy which made Cou-
sin Richard actually master of the
house.


He was very obliging-wonder
fully SO in most respects. He would
attend to anything for anybody ;
match ribbons which no one else
would; escort girls to place of
amusement; go dutifully to church
with their mamma; attend to mar
ket and the posting of letters, and
the gas metre, and the turning off
of the water in frosty weather. He
was always ready to search the
house with the poker at the dead of
night when any one" ,"heard a noise y
He went to the dentist with the
people who wanted their teeth
drawn, and always appeared to have
sugar plums in his pocket, but one
thing Cousin Richard would not do,
and that was to exhibit the least
sign of politeness to lady visitors.
He never saw any one home. He
never even spent the evening in
their company. He invariably shut
himself up in his own room, and
had his tea there when one Of these
individuals was reported to be in
the house; and when travelling, had
been known in the train to shut his
eyes tight when a young lady en-
tered, and remain with them closed
until she left the carriage. AS a
general thing, indeed, he always
chose carriage where he need not
be intruded upon.


cit was just as well, after all,''
said Mrs. Hinkle; but it was not
quite SO agreeable to Mr.. H. when
he found the pleasant task of "see-
ing Miss Smith or Miss Jones
home'' imposed upon himself. He
argued that such duties were Cousin
Dicks, though he never told him
so. 1t would not have been pleas
ant to provoke him, and if anything
could have offended Bachelor Brown
mortally, it would have been to in
sist upon his offering any gallant at
tentions to the softer sex.


However, day came which set
the household in commotion.


Miss Amanda Dove had been in
vited to spend week with the Hin
kles, and Miss Dove, being a stran-
ger, was to wait at the station, until
some one came for her in a carriage.
The Hinkles resided some miles
out of town, and had not occupied
their residence for many months, SO
| that the people had not always been