were hoarded up for his inspection long before he came.

"And Uncle Gee amply rewarded his faithful adherents, for when he came,
he brought universal sunshine with him, and was as ready to enter into
all their pursuits and share all their games as the veriest child
amongst them. He was the best teacher of trapbat and rounders Bob and
Tom knew for miles round; and yet he was as skilful and neathanded at
repairing the damages in Mary's doll house, and the fractures of baby's
doll, so that he might have been a carpenter by trade.

"So when at teatime, one summer evening, Mamma said to the children, who
were all round the large long table, 'To-morrow Uncle Gee is coming!'
they all burst out in one regular shout of delight, for this time he had
gone on a visit to a friend first, and his young relations' calculations
had been all put out, and they had been waiting day after day in the
vain hope of seeing him. The noise and chatter round the tea table that
evening were really deafening, and would have been quite annoying to
anyone but Mamma, who smiled, and said it was a little taste of
preparation for the uproar that always lasted all through Uncle Gee's
visit.

"And next day he came, to the great delight of all the young folks, and
if he had been nearly as patient as Mamma, and quite as brave as Papa,
(who did not even fear mad bulls, said baby!) why he would have been
driven deaf, dumb, and blind, by all the voices talking in their loudest
keys at once, or else would have expected to be torn in pieces by all
the eager hands that clung to him and pulled him about. I think Papa and
Mamma, and Uncle Gee too, in spite of all their kindness and affection
for the uproarious little mob, were thankful enough when the children's
bedtime came, and they were all taken off, loudly declaring that it was
_not_ time yet.

"Next morning they were all up like larks, and had finished dressing
sooner than usual, but, to their great horror, they looked out and saw
the sky covered with leaden clouds, and heard the steady, heavy drops of
rain falling on the sky-light over the staircase.

"'What a nuisance,' growled Bob and Tom, 'when we wanted to try the new
field, and Uncle Gee promised to have a game of cricket with us!'

"'O dear,' said Mary, in dismay, 'and I wanted to show him the new
hammock swing Papa has given us!'

"'We've lost our swing for certain,' said Jeanie, who was a regular
romp; 'what a bother!'

"'Rain, rain, go to Spain,' chanted Baby, in her squeaky voice--while
Dora joined in chorus.

"'Who's singing that contraband rhyme?' said Papa, coming in; 'I'm too
thankful for the rain for the sake of my peas and potatoes!'

"'And the strawberries too,' chimed in Mamma; 'just think, children, how
they were shrivelling for want of rain.'

"'But we can't get out,' bawled all the children, 'and now Uncle Gee's
come we had such lots of things to show him!'

"'What's the matter now?' said Uncle Gee, coming in. 'All this racket
about a little rain! Why, I was just thinking, while I was dressing,
what a jolly day it would be to make a Kite!'

"'Make a Kite!' shouted Bob; 'O how stunning; O Uncle Gee, can you show
us how to do it?'

"'I think I can, Bob,' replied his Uncle, 'but at any rate we'll try,
and with Mamma's help perhaps we can manage it. I dare say she will let
us have the school-room to make all our litters in, and I shall want
every man jack of you to help!'

"'Am I man jack too, Uncle Gee?' asked Baby, very anxiously.

"'I should think so,' said Uncle Gee, kissing her, 'a very useful one
too; you shall help with the fine fringy tail!'

"And when breakfast was over, to work they all went. Papa found some
capital slips of light thin wood, and lent his best knife into the
bargain. Mamma contributed some beautiful white glazed lining to cover
the frame with, and lent her nice glue pot as well. Uncle Gee soon had
the long table in the school-room covered