Year: 1873




ried, I should Immediately enter into
the welded state, and let him know Of
it, or he would never more be an un-
Gle of mine


Now, as my uncle lived in Vermont
and in Philadelphia, and 1 never
anticipated the old gentleman would
pay me a visit and discover the false
hood, | wrote and informed him that
| was not only married but the father
OF bouncing badly. This intelligence
so pleased my uncle that he sent a
gold goblet and silver pap-spoon, to
be presented to my child. | at first
sat down and wrote a very romantic
letter to my uncle, thanking HIM for
the presents, and then visited the
nearest jewelry store and turned both
the goblet and spoon into cash, which
/ pocketed,


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


p. S.-I 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! My uncle is COM
ing to visit me" I exclaimed ''and its
past the 10th of the month now! /
don't know at what moment he may
pop in. What am | to do for a wife
and child?"


At that moment there came a ter
rible pull at the door bell as if the
man who pulled it imagined that he
owned the house and could make as
much noise as he pleased. A sicken-
ing sensation took possession of me,
for | had misgiving that it was my
uncle. Now as good fortune would
have it, Mrs. Kingsley had gone out
to a neighboring store for few mo-
ments, and had requested me to have
an eye on her child while she was
gone, so it wouldn't fall out of the
cradle and hurt itself: AS glanced
at the cradle, and thought Of my un
Gle at the door, a bright idea entered
my mind. | determined, in case the
visitor was my uncle, to claim the
youthly occupant as my own.


The visitor proved to be my uncle.
| knew him by the pictures of him |
had seen, and he likewise knew me by
my photograph. After mutual re-
cognition and hand-shaking, | ushered
my honored relative into the parlor
and introduced him to my newly
claimed offspring.


"There uncle" said |, sis the first
pledge of our married life. | assure
you take pleasure in presenting to
you my child"


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


That was knotty story for me to
answer, for he was just as much ac-
quainted with its gender as | was.
But it would not do to show ignor-
ance on the subject, so [ answered at
hap hazard that it was boy.


II am sorry it is a boy" said my
uncle; there are too many boys in
the family. Now, if you had only
produced little blue eyed girl, it
would have been more sensible"


assured him 1 was sorry the gen.
der did not suit, but hoped in the
future his wishes would be gratifed.


SO far I had succeeded in deceiving
my uncle, but the worst / feared was,
that when Mrs. Kingsley returned,
she might object to my claiming own
ership in her child Besides, to carry
out my deception | must find a wife
as well as an infant, and Mrs. Kings
ley was the only one | could conven-
iently claim. The only difficulty was
to get her consent to the deception,
and this might be done if could only
secure a private conversation with her
before introduced her to my uncle,
then it would be all right.


I watched my opportunity, and
gained an interview with her before
she entered the room. l told her, in
a few brief and hurried words, the
extent of my difficulty, and how | had
taken the liberty of acting as papa for
her little one. then told her | must
find a wife somewhere, and begged
her to allow me to introduce her in
that capacity. She laughed very