Year: 1873

y 100000
ficient means to enable me to live at
nv ease, and refrain from labor of any
kind, when suddenly there came a
blow that scattered my prosperity to
the winds, and forced me to employ
my labor and wits in the general
struggle of gaining q living. The
blow came in the shape of the failure
Of large firm in which my capital
was invested.


After securing q clerkship in the
house of a creditor of our late firm,
my first care was to look up less eX-
pensive boarding house than the fash
ionable one in which was living. l
inserted an advertisement in several
widely circulated city papers, asking
for reasonable board in a strictly
private family, and Of course received
q multitude of answers by the next
post, Out of this molly installment
of epistles, there was but one which
pleased me, and that one decided to
answer in person immediately.


Grace Kingsley was the name Of the
favored landlady writing to me, and
the letter stated that her house was
entirely private, having no bOarders
whatever. was much pleased with
the fair, delicate handwriting and an
idea took possession of me, that Grace
was a young and fascinating widow.
L was not disappointed when reach
ed the house, and my ringing at the
door-bell was answered by the lady
herself. She invited me into the par
lor in q manner so courteous, and yet
so modest, that 1 had fallen desper-
ately in love with her before l could
cross the threshold.


I enjoyed a very pleasant chat with
Mrs. Kingsley. During the cOnver-
sation she Informed me that her
late husband had been in a fair way
of business, and at his death, which
occurred q year previous, had left her
in pretty comfortable circumstances.
They had but one child and this
item of mortality was most gracious
ly permitted to look upon, as it lay
peacefully slumbering in its cradle. l
also learned that the lady was living
in the house quite alone, and desired a
male bOardeT more as means OF pro-
lection than as a source of revenue.
In conclusion, the landlAdy looked so
pretty (she was quite young, not more
than two or three and tWenty,) and
the board so moderate, her cOmpan-
ionship so inviting, and she seemed to
trust in me, and look upon me so
favoTably, thst 1 would have been
heathen dead to all charms and in
ducements of the sex, if l had not en-
gagged board on the spot.


The next day had my trunk re-
moved to my new boarding place,
and permanently established myself
there. Before leaving my boarding
house, q letter was handed me by the
postman, but 1 did not find time to
examine it until was comfortably
ensconced in the parlOr of Mrs.
Kingsley's cosy house.


Opening the letter, Il discovered it
to be from a wealthy uncle of mine
residing in Vermont, who regularly
sent me q letter once q year, but
whom / had never seen. His epistles
were always short and to the point,
generally consisting of an account of
the weather in his locality and good
advice to me to take care OF my
money, as l might be burdened with
some of it before was much older. 1
was always very glad to get this ad-
vice from him, as l regarded 1t as an
intimation that was to inherit his
wealth on his decease.


One day, however, about q year
previous, / received letter from him,
which contained another topic be-
sides those I have mentioned. My
uncle made some pressing inquiries
respecting matrimonial prospects, and
stated that if 1 was not already mar
ried should at once enter into the
welded state, and let him know of it,
or he would never more be an uncle
of mine.


Now, as my uncle lived in Vermont
and 1 in Philadelphia, and never an
ticipated that he would pay me a
visit and discover the falsehOOd, l
wrote and informed him that I was
not only married but the father of a
bouncing baby. This intelligence so
pleased my uncle that he sent a gold
goblet and silver pap-spOon to be pre-
sented to my child. 1 at once sat down
and wrote very romantic letter to
nv uncle, thanking him for the pres
ents, and then visited the nearest
iewelry store and turned both the gob-
let and spoon INTO cash, which IpOck-
eted.


l hadreceived no further letters from
my uncle until the one which I had
read in Mrs. Kingsley's parlor. The
postscript to this not only astonished,
but absolutely frightened me. 1 read
as follows:


"P. 81 have never visited Phila-
delphia, so have decided to do so at
once, and get look at you and your
wife and child. You may expect me
about the 10th OF the MONTH"


"GoOd gracious Ny uncle is COM
ing,to visit me,n l explained, "and it's
past the 10th of the month now L
don't know at what moment he may
pep in. What am to do for q wife
and child ?''


At that moment there came q terri
BILE pull at the doOr-bell, as il the man
who pulled it imagined that he owned
the house and could make as much
noise as he pleased. A sickening SEN
sation took possession Of me, for had
q misgiving that it was my uncle.
Now, as good fortune would have it,
Mrs. Kingsley had gone out to q
Eeighboring store for few moments,
and hEd requested me to have an eye
on her child while she was gone, so
that it would not fall out of the cradle
and hurt itself. As I glanced at the
cradle and thought of my uncle at the
door, bright idea entered my mind.
I determined in case the visitor was
my uncle to claim the youthful Oecu-
pant as my own.


The visitor proved to be my uncle.
I knew him by the pictures Of
him had seen, and ne likewise knew
me by my photograph, After mu-
tual recognition and hand-shaking l
ushered my hOnored relative into the
parlOr and introduced him to my
newly claimed offspring.


"There uncle" 4" said l, ais the first
pledge of our married life. 1 assure
you I take pleasure in presenting to
you my child"


"IPs fat little youngster," said my
uncle, gazing at it adniringly. "By
the way, what is it, boy or girl ?''