Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-17
mr. JEWS PREDTC1MENR

DIR. JEWS PREDICAMENR
It was the funniest thing ever saw in my
life. Cruikshank would have gloried
in it. | wish | had him here to illustrate
that scene with the spirited vigor that only
his dancing pencil gives.
1t was in Kentucky that it happened-that
pleasant land OF blue grass, and tobacco, and
fine stock and white-teethed girls. Mabel,
my sister, had married Dick Hucklestone,
and they had begun life in great content
ment and a little three-roomcd house scarce
ly big enough to hold the bridal presents.
But they were happy, hearty, healthy. They
had two cows, ice.cream every day, charm
ing baby, and Uncle Brimmer. Who shall
say that their cup was not full? Indeed,
they thought it full before Uncle Brimmer
added himself theretO--a very ponderous
rose leaf He was one of our old family ser
wants, who fondly believed that Miss Mabel
and her young husband would never be able
TO get on without him. He walked all the
way from Mississippi to Kentucy, with his
things tied up III r small sack, and presented
himself before Mabel, announcing affsbly
that he had come to stay on"
but l haven't any place for you, Uncle
Brimmer," said Mabel, divided between hos
pitaity and embarrassment
any whar. | don't take up no room"
Mabel looked thoughtfully upon the big
brown gray -whiskered old negro, whose pro
portions were those of Hercules, and shook
her head you are not Tom Thumb,
Uncle Brimmer'
NO. ma'am," said he submissively, but
I've got his Sperit. Couldn't | sleep in de
kitchen, honey 7" he went on, with insinuat-
ing sweetness
mo indeed cried our young housekeep-
er II put my foot down on anybody sleeping
in the kitchen"
Aunt Patsey, the cook, stood by, balancing
a pan Of -four on her head, one fat hand on
her hip. suspected her of personal in
terest in the matter, and indeed she after
ward acknowledged that she thought Uncle
Brimmer's coming would prove "blessin'
to her feet" Those feet Of hers had been
saved many steps through the service of her
ten year-od daughter Nancy Palmira Kate
called Nanky Pal for short But of late
Nanky's services had been called into requi-
sition as a nurse and Aunt Patsey, who was
fat and scant of breath, thought she had too
much to do and so she viewed with evident
delight the stalwart proportions OF our good
natured giant from the south.
Oars de lof. Miss Mabel, she suggested.
1T is too small, and is cluttered up with
things already"
"Oh, sho, chile, dar aiu't nothin' in dat lof
'cep de 'taters, an de peppers, an de drleo
| apples, an some strings O. terbacker, an de
| broken plough, an some odds an ends O. de
chillens, an Lucy Crittenden's pups. Lor',
dar amt nothin' ter speak of in de lof:"
'He can't get in at the window, said Ma
| bel, shifting her ground
'Lemme try" said Uncle Brimmer.
The kitchen was a small log-cabin some
| UppH hnllarin
reach, ," to quote Aunt Patsey. Above it wa
a low room, or loft, crowded with the mis-
cellaneous articles enumerated. The only
way of getting into it was from the outside
A ladder against the side of the cabin admit
ted one, through little window, no larger,
am sure, than that of railway coach, int
this storehouse of treasures. Ranky Pal
who was as slim rs a snake, was usually Sc
lected to fetch and carry through the small
aperture. But Uncle Brimmer
I'm pretty sho l kin do 1t, he said
squirting up one eye as he took of his Goa
and prepared to try.
We stood in the doorway as he cautiousl.
went up the ladder; and after an eXcitinl
moment he pushed himself through the win
dow, and turning, smiled triumphantly.
This settled the matter. A cot bed wa
procured for Uncle Brimmer, and he 500
became the mainstay Of the family. Cheer
fully avoiding all the work possible lnditel
emily as an ostrich eating all he could find il
cupboards or highways; grimly playing hot
goblin for baby gsyly twanging his banJ
on moonlight nights-memory recalls the
With a smile, Uncle Brimmer l can clos
my eyes now and recall him, big, shapelesi
indistinct in the semi-darkness, as he sat ur
der the mulberry-tree, singing
"wsh was in Tennessee,
A-settin' in my cheer,
| jug o. whiskey by my side,
An arms aroun my dearV
This was his favorite Who shall dou bt tht
it expressed to him all the poetry, romance
passion of life?
After a time Uncle Brimmer fell i'll, aud "
sent for doctor.
DIR. Trattles Jex was the medical man {
! our county. He lived in Middleburn, seve
! miles away, and he came trotting over on
great bay horse, with a pair of saddle-bat
, hanging like Gilpins bottles, on either sid,
He looked as diminutive as a monkey percl
E ed on the tall horses back, and indeed
! was "a wee bit pawky body" as was said I
Tommy Moore But, bless me he was
pompous and self-important as though
had found the place to stand on, and cou
move the world with his little lever. A re
o handkerchief carefully pinned across b
: chest showed that he had lungs and mothe
| HIS boots were pOnbheu 10 tue lhst ueBte
. His pink and beardless face betrayed b
e youth and his voice-ah his voice! VIII
!. a treasure it would have been could he ha'
). let it out to masqueraders Whether it W
a Just changing from that of youth to that of
y man, or whether, like reading or writing,
, "came by nature" can't tell. One insta
!, it was deep and bass, the next squeakli
h and soprano. No even tenor about tn
voice
He held out his hand, with, "GOO
MORNING, Mrs. HucklestORe. / hope TH
BABY HAS NOT HAD an Gttaok?"
1 popped into the diningroom to gigg
II but little well-bred Mabel did not even smi
!: "Oh no." she cried 'it is Uncle Bril-
u mer."
o, The doctor offered to see him at ono
0, Mabel got up to lead the way. Up to Il
y moment warrant it had not struck her
le anything out of the way that she must inv
s, DR.. Jex to climb ladder and crawl throu
y, a window to get to his patient. But as S
s. looked at him, speckless, spotless, glove
is scented, curled, then at the ladder leani
against the wall in a disreputable, rick'
sort of way, sense of inOOngruity seem