e warm feeling of joy which surged in his heart.

"You know they've been in bad lines," he said, looking on the ground, a
rather pathetic figure in his ill-fitting, haphazard agglomeration of
garments, none harmonizing with its neighbour. "They'd come almost to a
crust, gentlemen, and such of you as are business men know upon what
they depend. That was cut off something over a week ago. I was passing
this morning, and was called in hurriedly. This is good news of one of
our best citizens, therefore I give it to you. Major had had an attack
with his heart, brought on by excitement caused by the morning's mail.
I straightened him out, then Julia told me all about it. Most of you
will remember Arthur Dudley, Major's brother. He's been away for a score
of years, and they lost him, totally. Thought him dead. This morning Tom
got a letter from a lawyer in St. Louis, with a check in it for two
thousand dollars. Major's brother was on his way back here. He took sick
in St. Louis, sent for this lawyer, died, and the money came on."

"Whose money?--What money?" exclaimed Uncle Billy Hoonover, hastening up
at that moment in time to catch the last words.

Doctor Kale promptly growled something about an engagement, and departed
with the same haste which marked his approach.

The paper by the wall was lowered once more, revealing a hawk nose,
bushy brows and sharp eyes.

"I told you, gentlemen, Mr. Hoonover would arrive!" the thin voice of
Colonel Whitley declared. "Good morning, Mr. Hoonover!"

"What's that sour old coon been tellin' you?" demanded Uncle Billy,
bearing down upon old Tim Mellowby, who had inadvertently occupied his
chair, "Git up! Don't you know that's my seat?"

He made a half threatening movement with his staff, but old Tim slid off
his perch good-naturedly and sought the ground instead, no more chairs
being available.

Judge Colver thereupon essayed, in his longwinded, heavy way, to impart
to the new arrival the story they had just heard. Uncle Billy listened
with becoming patience for one of his excitable temperament.

"Well, 'pon my soul!" he ejaculated, when the recital was done. "Things
happen nowadays as queer as Jonah an' the whale! Arthur--an' who'd 'a'
thought?--two thousand dollars! He's a stiff old codger, but nobody c'n
say anything ag'in 'im! He's got a right to live by hisself an' not
neighbour any."

"Is Dink up yit?" asked a very sober looking, lank individual, who up to
this moment had r