Judge — December 1889 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A MISFIT CHRISTMAS VISITOR. HERE was joy in the Pendragon family, for, lo and behold! Uncle Jabez was to pay it a Christmas visit. Uncle Jabez had held his purse-strings tight; in fact had failed to “pan out” since the mar- riage of his niece to John Pendragon, a careful man who, after seeing how things run, and that he need not expect anything from his wife’s rich uncle, settled down to business. A man hates to give up the dreams he has erected upon the shifting shoals of matrimony; but Pen- dragon did—with what poor grace he'd never acknowledge. He hung over a lot of dusty, musty books in Snatchem & Skinem’s office for a moderate salary ; also did occasional funny sketch-work for humorous papers. Uncle Jabez held aloof ; he would not visit the niece he had never met. “Stingy old thirig "— “Now, John, don’t; uncle doesn’t know us yet—never has seen any of us. 1 know if he could meet baby "—— “Just about now,” broke in John as he snatched baby’s syrup-smeared hands away from his polished shirt-front. “Or if he could only see our Robby "— At the present time,” sighed John as Robby came sliding down the banisters with the broken globe of the hall-lamp dangling from one heel. “ But when uncle does come | know he'll be delighted with us all.” “Sure of it—when he does come,” John said as he tore himself from the bosom of his family. Upon his return he banged open the door and danced gaily into his wife's presence waving a letter as he exclaimed : “He's coming. Saw postmark, ‘Danube, Herkimer County, N.Y.," and couldn't wait, so I read it. Uncle Jabez will be here Christmas morn- ing bright and early. I'm glad, and hope I can strike him for a fifty" “John! you ought to be ashamed. Uncle Jabez must not be struck"— “Just in fun, you know. Now bake up a lot of things and have the rooms bright and tidy"— “You are wild. We must let him think that we are—well, you know, I can’t bring myself to say i “Just. so—poor, poverty-stricken; nothing to wear, nothing to eat, ‘Miss Fresuiiecu—'* Do you notice that Mrs, GANYMEDE- CHRISTMAS JUDGE Daiver—"'Get out of th’ way, there!” Mr. Nunains (of 7 park t' see the elephants ; an’ my money's as good 's ennybody’s on a Broadway stage.” liar alcoholic odor in the room ?"* “No, dear ; I found this bottle of perfume on Gerald's dressing-case before I came down, and it’s so strong I can smell nothing else.” (And Mr. G. had been wondering all the morning where his ‘Old Crow" had gone.) ASSERTING HIS RIGHTS, iree-mile River—"* Not much I w I wanter go up t' Ci very low ;—all arranged so that Uncle Jabez will come down good and solid.” There were no Christmas presents bought that year; not even a stocking hung from the shelf, nor a Christmas-tree heavy with gifts in the Pendragon parlor. The children went wild over such a state of affairs, and their mother spent a great deal of time explaining matters. It was.a bare, cheerless, gloomy Christmas that dawned in the Pendragon family. John sat by a very dead pile of cinders, hugging his last year's office coat about him, trying to read and eagerly waiting for the bell. His wife was hud- dled upon one corner of the lounge with the children gathered close to her. Of course it was very wrong for the Pendragon family to do this; but then Uncle Jabez was so rich; he'd never visited them before, and—who knows? perhaps his will will find them all nicely remembered. The boy Robby blubbered and yelled for some Christmas taffy; the Lirica comicbooks.com