“Good afternoon, Mr. Smith and—Mr. Smith; and is it all just as she says?” demanded the small gentleman from Virginia. “Has the little ‘Express Parcel’ really found her right uncle at last? ’Cause it’s just like a ’Rabian Night’s story, seems to me, and girls—well, girls, you know, they—they’re sometimes silly, ’cept Josephine, maybe.” Then, as if a sudden fear attacked him he turned upon her, firmly admonishing her to remember: “If I’m to be your twin, as you say, you’ve got to have no nonsense in it. If I say ‘go in’ when there’s a lot of boys out in the square you’ll have to mind, ’cause they don’t always act polite, you see. Oh, bother! It’s all boys, anyway, isn’t it! I wish there was another girl, to even up”—
“Why, Michael Merriman!” cried Josephine, interrupting her playmate’s long speech. “There is another girl! You forget—how could you forget—Penelope!”
At which the new Uncle Joe threw back his handsome head and laughed as he had not laughed in many a day; for in fancy he could see Miss Penelope, aged seven months, helping “Cousin Josephine” to maintain the dignity of their mutual girlhood, as against a square full of rollicking lads.
Presently everybody was laughing, for happiness is delightfully infectious, and always even more “catching” than the measles. Grandma Merriman and Cousin Desire, who had come quietly into the room; the three black “boys” in the hall outside; the two Uncle Joes and Michael; and most heartily, most musically of all, the little San Diegan, who for very joy could not keep still, but went skipping and flying about the room, like a bewilderingly lovely butterfly, demanding between whiles of the person nearest:
“Oh, isn’t it beautiful, beautiful? Aren’t you glad I was a wrong ‘parcel,’ and came to this wrong, splendid, old Uncle Joe?”
“I am,” answered that gentleman, with sweet solemnity; “since your coming has showed me how to deal justly, and love mercy, and find happiness in my barren wealth. God bless you, little ‘Parcel’!”
“Amen, and amen!” echoed the other Uncle Joe, as he went softly and swiftly out, to carry the good news to those whom he loved.
THE END.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.