Page:The mislaid uncle (IA mislaiduncle00raym).pdf/176

 of the family began fighting you to recover their portion of the old family estates in—Virginia!"

The excitement of the moment, so long anticipated by her and undreamed of by him, was tinging her cheeks with a little color which made her, for the time being, nearly as handsome as he was and that brought out with distinctness a strong family likeness. This resemblance was swiftly detected by little Josephine, who caught a hand of each exclaiming:

"Why, you're just the same as one another, my darling Kimono and my precious Uncle Joe! We're all folks together? We're all the same Smith folks together!"

Upon this tableau the portières parted, and the dignified voice of Peter obtruded the announcement:

"Mr. Joseph Smith."

Utter silence for an instant, then Josephine dropped the hands she was clasping and bounded toward the new-comer, almost screaming her delight:

"Papa! Papa! Papa!"