"G.o.d bless you, sweet girl," said Mr. Middleton, stooping to kiss the innocent face which looked up into his with so much earnestness. "For your sake, if for no other, your father shall not be laughed at."
As the carriage drove off, Julia turned to f.a.n.n.y and said, "Won"t they have fun, though, with the old man? I can fancy it all. Father"s beard will probably be long enough to do up in papers, and it will be a miracle if he does not have on those horrid old bagging pants of his."
f.a.n.n.y was only too fearful it would all be as Julia predicted, but she made no answer, and soon returned to her room.
We will now follow the carriage, which, with its load of gentlemen, was proceeding rapidly toward the house of our friend Uncle Joshua. Mr.
William Middleton, or Mr. Stafford, as we will call him for a time, seemed to grow excited as he approached nearer to a brother whose face he had not looked upon for more than twenty long years.
"I say, boys," said he, speaking to his companions, "you must help me, and when I begin to ask Joshua concerning his parents and brothers, you, too, must talk, or he will suspect I have some design in questioning him."
The gentlemen all promised to do their best, except Frank, who could promise nothing, because he knew nothing concerning the man they were going to visit. His curiosity, however, was aroused, and forgetting the presence of Mr. William Middleton, "Do they keep the old fellow caged? And must we pay anything for seeing him?"
These questions were greeted by a burst of laughter, and Raymond said, "No-admittance is free, but you"ll be more amused to see him and hear him talk than you would in visiting Barnum"s Museum!"
By this time the carriage had entered the woods, and they came in sight of the house. Mr. Stafford leaned from the window, and said, "Is it possible that my brother, with all his wealth, lives in such a heathen place as this?"
"When you see him," said Raymond, "you"ll think the nest just suited the bird."
They were now in the yard, which was so filled with farming utensils that the driver found it difficult to effect a pa.s.sage up to the door. The gentlemen were about concluding to alight where they were, when Mr.
Middleton was heard calling out, "Ho, thar, driver, don"t run agin that ar ox-cart; turn a leetle to the right, can"t ye? Now be keerful and not run afoul of the plaguey lye leech. I b"lieve the n.i.g.g.e.rs would move the hut, Josh and all, into the yard, if they could only make a raise!"
Mr. Stafford and Frank looked eagerly out at the speaker, who fully realized Frank"s idea of him. His beard was as long and black as a rapid growth of three weeks could make it. As Julia had feared, he was dressed in his favorite bagging pants, which hung loosely, even around his huge proportions, and looked as if fitted to some of his outbuildings. He was very warm and he wore neither coat nor vest, while his feet, whose dimensions we have mentioned before, were minus either shoes or stockings.
He appeared in the doorway b.u.t.toning one of his suspenders. The truth was he had spied the carriage in the distance, and as his linen was none the cleanest he hastened to change, and was now putting the finishing touch to his toilet. When he caught sight of the occupants of the carriage he thought to himself, "Thar"s a heap on "em. Nancy"ll have to rout the whole gang of n.i.g.g.e.rs, field hands and all, to huntin" hin"s nests after eggs enough for dinner."
By this time the gentlemen had alighted, and Mr. Middleton went forward to receive them. "How d"ye do, how d"ye do?" said he; "I"m mighty glad you"ve come. I wish you"d brought the whole city."
"We came pretty near it, I think," said Mr. Miller, at the same time presenting Mr. Stafford and Mr. Cameron.
Mr. Middleton continued talking, as if replying to Mr. Miller"s first remark. "No consequence, no consequence, Mr. Stafford, Mr. Cameron, how are you? The more the merrier. I s"pose they"ve told you all about Josh, so I needn"t make b"lieve any-but come in-the house looks better inside than it does out." "Ho, Luce," continued he, "where the old boy is your mistress? Tell her thar"s heaps of folks here, and mind tell Aunt Judy to get us up a whalin" dinner."
Here he stopped to take breath for a moment, and then proceeded. "You must excuse my rig, gentlemen, or rather, you must excuse what ain"t rigged; mebby if I"d known all you city b.u.g.g.e.rs was comin", I"d a kivered my bar feet."
"You go barefoot for comfort?" said Mr. Miller.
"Why, yes, mainly for that, I suppose," answered Mr. Middleton, "for I"ve got such fetchin" big corns on my feet that I ain"t goin" to be cramped with none of your toggery. My feet happen to be clean, for I washed them in the watering trough this mornin". How d"ye leave my gals?"
"They are well," answered Mr. Miller, "or rather Julia is, and f.a.n.n.y is improving every day."
"I"ve often wondered," said Mr. Middleton, "what "twas ailded Sunshine when she was sick. She didn"t seem to have no disease in particular, and I reckon nothin"s on her mind, for all"s straight between her and Dr. Lacey, as far as I know."
"Dr. Lacey!" repeated Frank, without knowing what he said.
"Yes, Dr. Lacey; know him?" asked Mr. Middleton.
"No, sir," answered Frank, and Ashton rejoined, "I imagine he wishes f.a.n.n.y had never known him."
Mr. Middleton turned, and for a moment regarded Frank intently. Frank stood the inspection manfully, and Mr. Middleton said, "You are from New York, hey? I like New Yorkers, and if Sunshine wasn"t promised to Dr.
Lacey and never had seen him, and I liked you, I"d as soon you"d have her as anybody."
Mr. Stafford now said that he was acquainted with Dr. Lacey, and proceeded to speak of the pleasant time he had spent with him. This occupied the time until dinner was ready.
"Come, haul up," said Mr. Middleton, "haul up; we didn"t expect so many to dinner, but the old table"ll stretch and you must set clus; but don"t none of you step on my corns, for thunder"s sake!"
Frank thought if his host kept on talking he should not be able to eat for laughing, but the old man was but just getting into the merits of the case!
When his guests were seated, he said to Mr. Stafford, "Your white neck cloth looks like you might belong to the clergy. If you do, you can say a short prayer over the eggs and bacon, but Lord"s sake be spry, for I"m blarsted hungry!"
But for the remembrance of his promise to f.a.n.n.y, Mr. Stafford would have screamed. It is needless to say that he declined his host"s invitation, and the company began their dinner.
Suddenly Mr. Stafford asked if Mr. Middleton had any brothers.
"Yes-no, or, that is, I had one once," answered Mr. Middleton, "but he"s deader than a door nail afore this, I reckon."
"And what makes you think he is dead?" asked Stafford.
"Why, you see," returned Mr. Middleton, "when our old pap died, something in the will stuck crossways in Bill"s swaller, and he left college and put to sea, and I hain"t heard from him in fifteen years."
"Did he look like you?" said Raymond.
"He was four years younger than I," answered Mr. Middleton, "but no more like me than Sunshine"s pet kitten is like our old watch dog, Tige. He was soft like in his ways and took to book larnin mightily, and I"m-but everybody knows what old Josh is. Hold on thar! Save the pieces!" said he to Frank, who, unable longer to restrain his mirth, had deluged his plate with coffee.
"Pray excuse me," said Frank, mortified beyond measure at his mishap.
His discomfiture was, however, somewhat relieved by his companions, all of whom burst into a fit of laughter, in which Mr. Stafford heartily joined, forgetful of his promise to f.a.n.n.y. By this time dinner was over and the company repaired to the porch, where Ashton and Raymond betook themselves to their cigars, while Mr. Middleton puffed away at his old cob pipe.
Mr. Stafford at length resumed the dinner table conversation by saying, "If I were you, Mr. Middleton, I would not give up my brother yet; "Hope on, hope ever," is my motto."
"Hope on," repeated Mr. Middleton. "I have hoped on till I am tired on"t, and by spells I have dreams in which it seems like my brother was alive and had come back, and then my old gourd sh.e.l.l of a heart gives a thunderin" thump, and fetches me up wide awake. I hate dreams mightily, for it takes me an all-fired while to get to sleep all over, and when I do I hate to be waked up by a dream."
"I hope you"ll live to see your brother, though," said Frank.
"No, I shan"t," answered Mr. Middleton, again filling his cob pipe.
"Everything that I loved has always died."
"Have you lost many friends?" asked Mr. Stafford.
"Considerable many," said Mr. Middleton, "considering how few I ever had.
First, thar was mother died, when Bill and I was little boys; I remember how we cried when we stood by her grave, and I was so feared Bill would bust his jacket open that I whispered to him not to take on so, for I"d be his mother now. And then that night, which was the longest and darkest I ever knew, we took turn rocking and singing to our little baby sister, just as we had seen mother do."
Here he stopped a moment, and Raymond, who was rather impatient, said, "Don"t stop; go on."
The old man wiped his eyes, and said, "Heavens and arth, don"t hurry a feller so; can"t you let him wait till the big b.u.mps get out of his throat, or would you have me bellerin" here like a calf?"
"Take your time, Mr. Middleton," said Mr. Stafford, who was as much affected as his brother at the remembrance of that sad night, when he first felt what it was to be motherless.
After an instant, Mr. Middleton continued, "Directly that sister got big enough, she was married and started to go to England, but the vessel went to smash and the crew went to the bottom. Poor gal, she always hated salt, but she"s used to it by this time, I reckon. Then there was pap died next, but he was old and gray-headed, and sick-hearted like, and he wanted to go, but it made it jest as bad for me. Then thar was Bill."
Here Mr. Stafford moved his chair so as to hide his face from the speaker, who continued, "I did think I might have one left, but "twasn"t to be. He went, too, and Josh was left alone."