pying danger afar off, evacuated his
Manassas before the enemy could reach him, and went back to his cackling
harem. To them he no doubt related, in the appropriate language of the
bipeds _with_ feathers, what a couple of sleepy-heads he had seen upon
the piazza, and how he had startled them both with a voluntary upon his
private organ. Meanwhile the Colonel had dropped back into his seat.

But old John Crawford, fully awakened by the sound, did not seem likely
to fall away into slumber again. As Egbert resumed his place in the
chair, the old man said, feebly:

"Egbert."

Instantly the Colonel, never forgetting his cue of attention to the
invalid, drew closer to his side.

"Yes, Uncle, what can I do for you?"

"Where is Mary?" asked the old man, who had probably before asked the
question half a dozen times since she had left the house.

"Gone out for a walk, Uncle," said the expectant son-in-law. "I suppose
she is calling upon some of the neighbors. It is her last day, you know,
Uncle."

"Her last day?--yes, you are going to be married to-night. I know,"
whispered the old man, with the air of a child to whom the intelligence
has been communicated as a great secret--not that of a father who had
thus willed for the happiness of a dear child.

"Domine Rodgers is to come at six," said the Colonel. "And then I hope I
shall have the pleasure of calling you by a dearer name than that of
Uncle."

"Yes, yes--Mary is a good girl," said the old man. "Take good care of
her, Egbert. I am afraid I shan't live long, myself--not many
years"--(Poor old man!--no efforts had been sufficient to awake him to
the fact that his remaining time on the earth was probably to be
measured by days or hours instead of years!) "I am going to have my will
made, Egbert, the moment you are married, and I am going to leave all my
property to her--_her_--her and you. You will have it all. Don't waste
it, and don't let it go out of the family--not out of the family,
Egbert! You are a Crawford, and I want to keep the property in the
family. Eh, Egbert?"

"I will _try_ to do everything that you wish, Uncle!" said the Colonel;
and no doubt that he really meant to obey that portion of his Uncle's
injunctions--to _keep the property in the family_.

"And look here, Egbert," said the old man, who seemed to speak with less
difficulty than was usual to him, though there were hindrances in his
delivery very painful to the hearer and which we cannot cari