Show I 1 I 1 A H ab P t 0 7 P 1 ea w 0 el z P ra L a 9 oi ev 40 I 1 I 1 0 I 1 I 1 C I 1 li imi h 19 f 0 0 T I 1 11 I 1 I 1 Z 11 14 11 1 5 I 1 nat 11 h ze r ea 7 pi I 1 1 V z I 1 fw 14 I 1 Y W I 1 91 I 1 bafo 41 I 1 1 iia i e r amt I 1 I 1 91 I 1 1 t I 1 I 1 PP 0 k i i ga A h 01 1 A V I 1 am 4 1 4 ill 11 1 j r 44 MM I 1 C lp al t 4 I 1 C i 1 Q lf I 1 I 1 IU I 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 A I 1 Q 0 0 44 ea 9 J L S ep 1 I R t I 1 V asiz ap 1 I ta L af dip d ca 0 X I 1 11 1 THE TS USTER EASTER EGGS by may A so abold old uncle flint as lie was known was wag a very rich man as all supposed but lie was penurious and cat eccentric e atric lie ile spent most moat ot of his time in ills his dul duty dulty ty and year in and year ou out sal rat looka there counting up figures and looking ng over musty old papers until h he e had come to look like it a worn piece jacce of put parchment h himself ills his nephews reubon seth and tom had no ivawn to have any great love tor for their old uncle and an it on 0 n old flints side there seemed to be little if eny any regard tot or them lliam when lie az w la ia a so it WAS sai sal saldie dhe had been love no one n e ila knew why but lie had never married marri e d and a d now he appeared to think ot of not ill k but ut malting making money lie ile led had sold an old mill to his nephews bho by dint of 0 economy gild and A hard laurd managed to meet ther their monthly payments though there was often but little letl left them when this we was done their uncle never offe offered them any assistance anti and was as exacting of every penny panny due him as it they had been jean sti zil angers angern one ote luster Lu ater however what was wag their so Burp oprise riso to receive from him some easter eggs one apiece and tor for reuben and seth who were married one one each it tor rot their wives and children they were galy ornamented eadi each with olk it a tilt bit of oc gilt bill paper P aper covering the end and bearing be ans the name in gut gilt letters of ane one tie for whom choin it was intended it was considered only one ot of the old man mans a freaks and the eggs cess were carefully care tully laid away on the rna mantelpiece where they could bo be seen it if he should happen to calli tom was the youngest of eis IS ana and it was thought that if any of LA them am met with with tavor favor in the old matts mans eyes it was he the young man had more begard for ills uncle than doth both his bill brothers combined and they had become a little jealous i or 0 him and were wont went when hen they were haud pressed for money to taunt him with trying to set get into the hie good graces braces of 0 tile old man with a aliew view to being handsomely i in the will from which they oared feared might be omitted toni tom paid but little attention tion to ills his brothers slurs other than to soy gay lie he would rather miner they should have all and lie nothing than that they should think so meanly of him true he went to see his uncle more fic ate qu 0 antly than they who aho rarely saw him excell c on payday but ile he pitted pitied the lone 0 old I 1 al man and even liked him in spite of his closeness and his oddities tom said oll old flint one day when his nephew had dropped in to see sec him 1 I hrar hear you are going to john lawsons pretty often nowadays and his hard black eyes fixed themselves 0 on A toms face which reddened up to tile the roots of his curly hair for or somehow b he a felt uneasy under tho the close scrutiny acu tiny of those piercing eyes ME hut he answered answer pd ti uth fully yes yea I 1 do go there frequently nellie lie lawson la Is an uncommonly sweet girl and I 1 meant to 0 tell her that if she he will have me I 1 want to marry liar her dont go there any moie my boy 8 said ii old runt shaking his finger fanger fit at tom it will do you no good bood tell tier her you have no money and expect none iia ha ha he be ex exclaimed claimed more linore to himself than to his h I 1 a nephew see eee what ahat shell sheli say then with t A came it a far oil off look into hla his eyes wh i A for or a moment lost their Iler ceness WE bt ills his race face mill baill held its stern expression when I 1 was your age he resumed 1 I was foolish too and look ye 1 lad she he favored me inc until she found that I 1 had no balance at the bank then I 1 was wag dismissed because I 1 had less money than my rival who iho laughed at me because of my poverty dut but mark you I 1 can now count my dollars where lie hc has h is cents do dd you hear hu ha ha ba came the same dry chuckle again the worn wrinkled faco face became more acil II 11 ous the thin lips closed tightly lightly go and ald again a look of oc ie severity verity came into ills his eyes 1 I see why you should judge all women by one protested toni tom 1 I am sure you would think alli erent brently ly if you knew nellie lawson but the old man only polled cynically cis as toni tom persevered 1 I am sure it would make little littie difference to her whether I 1 was rich or poor so no long as aa we had enough to pet get along on I 1 can call always ear earn n enough for foi that I 1 hope con concluded cl utica tom proudly and you are bound to marry her then ell eh returned old flint sharply yes sir said tom quietly if S she he wit will I 1 have me but she r refuse f use tile me it will ill not be on the score 0 of f 11 coon money ey this bold declaration so go upset ills uncles temper that he roared rested with all 11 the force left him that never a penny t of his money should go to john lawsons daughter and he would make maket it known on the morrow that none of his nephews should profit a dollar by his death aa for or that put in toni tom a little aad nelli nettled at this outburst you have a perfect right to do with your money what you please you cant say you ever gave us anything we pay tor for up to the last farthing though it has crippled us t to do li IA then more calmly as lie he noted how poorly the old 11 man looked lie continued and while you may will your wealth to strangers and leave us to drudge on tile the best we can let at thre thi re be no more harsh hardix wo words ads between us while wo we live I 1 am youns 0 ung and birong and willing to make my own way the alie mill Is doing better now and it may yet enable me to make tl a gl atari rt for or myself then why do you to Ine umber yourself still further with a wife a ami ad as he be spoke lie rose in hla his chair beware bow you refuse the old mans man r s advice the only tiling thing yo you u e can an count on oil my ind bild see you yo le member it when mien tom loft his big uncles office ili lila a face ac wore a preoccupied and troubled took look arnved by the tenderness of hll his love tot or nellie he thought compassionately compa mitlon of the I 1 he lonely life this old man had fell all these yeats und and he could not help making allowance for or ills his bitter lie all that its hla uncle had said to mm and nd felt elt that he must M USE act ot at once the i llon islon or of nellies SAW e t faco face rose before him slid and he wondered liow how she would receive tile the news lie ile hu he would go to ht at once and tell her all but on reflection 1 concluded to wait shu would hear it all fr from 0 in her faldt the next day if the old M man all fulfilled his threat walking moodily along toward the mill he determined deto to ter to urge nellie to promise to ho be hla his wife tife whatever might happen they their could wait a year he thought and by that time Ms ilia business might look still more encouraging and he pictured tile tho snug little room he hoped to soon have r ready as dy for t the h a girl he loved so fond andly I 1 Y As a e when he beached leached the mill lie ho ans as in it a more cheerful frame of mind and the look of anxiety had vanished from his face w alrh now wore it a bright and even happy look the news from the old man inq inquired u 1 red RAub rauben cn you tou I lok iok ok as though tho the interview m might it have been satisfactory 1 I was not thinking about uncle flint a as g I 1 came in said tom but I 1 found him very excitable and almost childish today to day I 1 am afraid ho he will not last much longer humph grunted reuben Pe uben he might have helped it in a little while abill lie he lived without tAft hout hurtin hurting ghim bilm now what ahat does lie ho intend to tie do with the wealth lie he lri 1114 hoarded all these years one thing thine h he a cant do take it with mith him and roll bell appeared to derive considerable consolation fro from this last reflection 11 1 I have no iden idea how bow he means to dispose pose ot of it answered tom but one thing thine he diel did say sav was waa that n no 0 one of big nephews should a can cent t by hi his s 0 bill o I 1 I 1 I 1 what did you say to him a asked aked ked seth ahat tb at caused him to make so such eh a remark and then tom told bis big brothers all neuberg was much put out at the unwelcome A n tie news wa and he be began to walk the floor there IR in no use saying any anything thing about it II continued seth fr for f the old man will flo do na As he aes besides lie he li queer and there is no telling what he may do after lit all this ahli more sans itil remark of 0 seth silenced hla his brother and thy they returned their work true to lo his word the old man told lawyer hopkins who called at his office the hie next morning to chat awhile how lie he proposed to leave his tie nephews plews out of 0 ills hla will for said he they have pleased themselves all along alone without consulting my lhea and now I 1 shall please myself and he be rubbed ills his hands gleefully knowing it would not be ang lone before john lawson would hear of it from the pit iyer it was a day in the early summer the birds twittered cred back anti and forth to one another the trees were putting g forth their fresh new leaves and tom as he walked toward nellies homo home in the early evening felt grateful and happy tor for he was full of hope chopo and in the springtime of hla big life As he neared the pate gate he be caught a of a white dress amid the shrubbery and he knew it was nellie w U ho hn vi was as in the little karden beyond unobserved he gaze gazed I 1 at her a moment without speaking admiring tile tho graceful movements of the trini trim figure before him so intent was bhe upon I 1 the of the flowers she had bad been picking that she was not aware of toms presence until ho he was I 1 neatly beside her 0 my she die exclaimed how you frightened me I 1 hear you close the kate gate you yon sold said tom st smiling rilling it was waa a bright dimpled face from w holcli looked out two merry brown eyes a frank face with yet a reserve ot of character to reinforce its prettiness wont you ell come in she sold as rho cho deftly put together a tiny bouquet intended for his buttonhole the pinning on oli of which tom thought was altogether go t her too quickly accomplished as his glance rested upon the sweet face so 90 near his own havo have you heard beard nellie that my undo has out cut me oft off in ili his will said aid toni tom rather ruefully yes murmured nellie in a volca voice full of oc sympathy sm oNni pathy my afy father told me today to day but she added quickly an ai her hand rested lovingly upon its his arm need 3 ou ell care so sa much about it tom 1 I wont avont care nellie isyou it you will sill promise to be my wife the time Is 14 up when you were to give me your answer you know what followed was uttered too low for anyone to overhear and after a little littie they went into the house together well said paid jolin john lawson to tom when he had asked his consent to the engagement so you think yo you u can got get alons along without the old mans money do you yes responded tom 1 I should re kalher aber make my own way than have it said I 1 waited for my uncles money now continued jolin john La lawson lagon lg ig noting tonis toms remark know that your uncle and I 1 courted the same girl when we were young I 1 happened to be the favored one and ho he has had a grudge a against me ever since now I 1 dont mean mea I 1 I 1 to go against again kit you remember remembert but it seems to me you had better wait until you are a little further ahead in ili tile tho world before taking a A wife ire I 1 know nellie has a comfortable b home ome now all and d S she he had better remain there for the present thin la Is my adilee adilea and my w elili s all the proud sahit within toms fieast rose up in rebellion at this ile he understood now tho the full import 0 of f what hla his uncle had sald said to him the day before some of which had rather p puzzled him at I 1 the he time but remembering rehe uns os and to whom he wits was peaking for Nc Illos sake he checked the he hanty words that came to his lips so I 1 am to understand that you refuse it so your consent to our engagement said bald he to take ills leave without CA t making tile the slightest appeal in hla big own boenit or uni wavering vering A a moment in hla his 1 I think it li Is as well was john taw law sona rolls short answer ansier anti and lie ho turned again to ills his is as it if everything even thins had bad been bettl settled d to lo his big satisfaction good firlit sold he good night said eald tom as he passed out to the veranda where nellie was anxiously ai awaiting alLing him oh I 1 am so sorry ahe exclaimed when an he a had to reported P arted t the h e interview 1 I W wish all I 1 could do conict something b ng so you ca can A darling by keeping your promise to belay be my wife ire whatever cornes cornea was waa his comforting assurance the answer was to lila ills satisfaction unit and w when hen they parted they had named their try allne place the davs that followed wore were happy ties ones for tom flint and it was with a lighter lla hier heart and stop step that he went about the old mill thinking but little 0 of f his financial troubles tor for now lie bad some one to sharo share hla his anxiety and make the burden lighter uncle flint began to fall in health and the brothers saw hira him more than once in close conference with lawyer king anil and with mith mr wilkins the banker and they did not doubt but ha was arranging h his in will ila would often be seen chuckling to himself as aa he I 1 rubbed his hands on ill his knees while I 1 thinking 0 of hm his nephews neph emT for reubel and seth had bad become more since heir hair uncle bad begun to show i signs ot of weakness tom did not discontinue disi dimi hla his i isial but went as aa before I 1 tor for notwithstanding the displeasure depleted on oil his uncles face ohen alien they met mci withal there was wag a warm warin spot in ills hi heart for the lonely old man nearly ft a year had passed and toni tom had married neille in spite of her too fa opposition lon which however went no further than bis big protect and the risk of increasing hla his uncles displeasure they had been een sett settled leI to in A a neat little cottage on re lie high road leading to tn the mill about two months month before easter tile week before uncle flint was very busy making his customary preparation of the eggs intended for hla his and their families this time there here t was an addition to the number this was vaa one for nellie and when it came with toms bearing her name in gilt letters ilke the others elio elie sald its she ha handled nd the dainty sll shell 1 I am ain so g alad ad it nice of him to send me 0 one cue too and how beautifully he fixes th them I 1 never hall had one like this before 1 I have several replied torn that ho be lias has sent me on previous easters Eft aters I 1 have preserved them because they are so R 0 odd dd and the only things he ever gave us lit lie WM was much pleased over this circling by his uncle to for he took it as 03 a token of foigl encis it if not of reconciliation ills iiii brothers brothen on the other land hand felt very |