The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-05-20
DIR. Jex's Visit.

my lie. Cfu1ksuank Wou1u nave SiO
ried in it. wish had him here to il
lustrate that scene with the spirited vigor
that only his dancing pencil gives.
that pleasant land of blue-g grass and to-
bacco and fine stock and white-teethed
girls. Mabel, my sister, had married
Dick Huckleston, and they had begun
life in great contentment in little three
roomed house scarcely big enough to
hold the bridal presents. But they
were happy, hearty, healthy.
They had two COWS, ice-cream every
day, q charming baby and Uncle Brim-
mer. Who shall say their cup was not
full? Indeed they thought it was full
before Uncle Brimmer added himself
thereto-a very ponderous rose leaf. He
was one of our family servants, who
fondly believed that Miss Mabel and her
young husband could never get along
without him. He walked all the way
from Mississippi to Kentucky, with his
things tied up in small sack, and pre-
sented himself before Mabel, announcing
affably that he had come to sstay on"
"But haven't any place for you,
Uncle Brimmer." said Mabel, divided
between hospitality and Embarrassment.
'Lor' honey, you kin jes' TUX me
aroun' anywhar', / don't take up no
room"
mabel looked thoughtfully upon the
big brown gray-whiskered old negro,
whose proportions were those of Her
cules, and shook her head. sYou are
not Tom Thumb"
"No, ma'am," said he, submissively
''but I got his sperit. Couldn't I sleep
in de kitchen, honey?" he went on, with
insinuating sweetness.
ssNo, indeedp' cried our young house.
keeper; ST put my foot down on any
body sleeping in the kitchen"
Aunt Patsey, the cook, stood by bal
ancing pan of -four on her head, one
fat hand on her hip. I suspected her OF
personal interest in the matter, and
indeed she afterwards acknowledged that
she thought Uncle Brimmer's coming
would prove "blessing to her feet. "
Those feet of hers had been saved many
steps by the service of her daughter
Nancy Palmira Kate-called Nancy Pal
for short. But of late Nancy's services
had been called into requisition as nurse
and Aunt Patsey, who was fat and scant
of breath, thought she had too much to
do, and so she viewed with evident de-
light the stalwart proportions of
our good natured giant from the sunny
south.
''Dar's de lof', Miss Mabel" she sug-
gested:
cit is too small. and is full of things
already"
'sOh, sho, chile, dar amt nothin' in
dat lof 'cept de taters, an some peppers,
an de dried apples, and some strings o.
terbacker, an. de broken plow, an some
odds an ends o. de chillen's, and Lucy
Crittenden's pups. Lor', dar amt moth
in to speak Of in de lof."
He can't get in at the window said
Mabel.
..Lemme just try" replied Uncle
Brimmer.
The kitchen was a small log cabin some
distance from the housea-t:in good hol-
hrin' distance, to quote Aunt Patsey.
Above it was low room or loft, crowd
ed with the miscellaneous articles emu
merated. The only way of getting into
it was from the outside. A ladder
against the side of the cabin admitted
one through little window, no longer,
am sure, than that of q railway coach,
intA this storehouse of treasures. Nam
cy Pal, who was as slim as snake, was
usually selected to fetch and carry
through the small aperature. But Un-
cls Brimmerl
I'm pretty sho kin do it," he said,
squirting up one eye as he took off his
coat and prepared to try.
We stood in the doorway as he eau
tiously went up the ladder; and after an
exciting moment he pushed himself
through the window, and, turning, he
smiled triumphantly.
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