The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1881-02-01
DR.. JEx's pREDIeAMENT,

Win tIe splriteu ViBor lhat Vhiy no
dancing pencil gives.
1t was IN Kentucky that II hap.
pencd--that pleasant land OF blue.
grass, and tobacco; and fine stock,
with white.tecthed girls. Mabel, my
sister, had married Dick Hucklestone,
and they had begun life IN great con-
testlnent in a little three-roomed
house scarcely big enough to held the
bridal presents. But they weta hap
py. hearty, healthy, They had two
cows, ice cream every day, a charm
ing baby, and Uncle Brimmer. Who
shall say that their cup was not full ?
Iudeed, they thought il full before
Uncle Brimmer added himself there
to-a very pondrous rose leaf. llc
was one of our old family servants,
who iondly believed that Miss Mabel
and her young husband would never
be able 10 yet on without HIM. lie
walked all the way from Mississippi
to Kentucky, with his things tied up
IN meal sack, and presented himself
before Mabel, announcing affably that
he had come 10 "stay on.
"Dut hayen't any place for you,
Uncle Brimmer," said Mabel divided
bet ween hospitality and embarrsss.
ment.
"Lor' honey, you kin jes' tuck me
aroun' aayschar. ! don't tase up no
room"
Mabel looked thoughtfully upon
the big brown gray-wliiskered old
negro, whore proportions were those
OF Hercules, and shook her head.
You are not Tom Thumb, Uncle
Brimner"
mo, ma'am,9 said no submissively,
"but I've got his spirit. Couldn't !
sleep in de kitchen, honey p he Went
Oh, with iusinuating sweetness,
mo, indeed cried our young
housekceper; II put MY loot down OH
any body sleeping in the Kitchen"
| Aunt Patsey, the cook, stood by
balancing pan OF tiour on her head
ono lat hand on her hip. suspected
lhcr ola personal interest in the mat
Tier, and indeed she afterward sc
lknowledged that she thought Uncle
Brimmer's coming wcnld prove {
,.blcssin' to her feet" Those feet o'
ihcrs had been saved many stepi
through the service Of her ten yeal
cid daughter Nancy Pslmira Kate
called Nanky Pal, tor short. 3ut o
lstc Nanky's ev,ices had been callet
, | into requisi,ion as y nurse, and AuD
Pa,sey, who was fat and scant 0
breath, thought she had too much t.
do and so she viewed with eviden
! delieA, the stalwart proportions Q
.. our good-natured giant from tn
: south.
"Dsr's do lof', Miss Mabcl' he sug
geRted.
!, "It is too small, and Is cluttcrcd o
with things already,
"Oh, sho, chile, dar ain't nothin' i
dat Ioi' 'cept DO 'iatters, an de pep
uers. an de dried apples, an som
!. strings O. terbacker, an do broke
blow, an some odds all ends o d
chillen's an Lucy Crittenden's pup
: Lor', oar amt nolhin' ter speak OF
!. dc loi."
:. liz can't get In at Tho window
u said Mabel, shifting her ground.
:, "Lenme lry," said Uncle Brimmc
y The kitchen was small log-cabi
u some distanLc from the house-"l
:, good hollerin' reach," to quote Aul
u patsey. Above it was low rooT
- or lott, crowded with tho miscellsl
y eous articles enumerated. The on
way OF getting into 1t was from q
. outside. A ladder against the side
!, the cabin admitted one, through Ii
:. tie window, no longer, | am sur
'ne n than that OF q railway COACH Tito th
y y storehouse OF treasures. Nanky P'
70 who was MS slim as a snake, W
y y usually selected 10 fetch aud carr
~ y. through the small aperture, b
= Uuclo Brimmer.
8 "l'm pretty sho I kin do it,"l
., a. said, squirting up one eye, as he to'
" " of his coat aud prepared 10 try.
y We stood in the doorway rs he ca
n ! tiousiy went up the ladder; and aft
" " an exciting moment he pushed hil
w,c w self through the window, and tnr
~ ing, smiled lriumphanily.
90 This settled the matter. A cnf b
y, was procured for Uncle Brimm
q. and he soen became the mainstay
~ The family. Cbeerfully avoiding
no the work possible ihdiilerently as
os,r;ch ealing all he could find in GU
~ boards on highways; grim'y playi
'aa hobgoblin for baby, ga,ly twangi
Nv Nv his banjo oil moonlight nights-mc
ie ory recalls thee with smile. Un
80 Brimmcr, lean close my eyes NJ
he and recall him, big, shapeless, ind
tinct IN the semi darkness, ns he
under the mulberfy.tree, singing
.er "wish was In Tennessee,
~ A-settiu' In my cheer,
as jug o. whisky by my sido, -,
in An'arms aroup' my dear"
ere This was his favorite. Who sh
doubt that it expressed to him all
poetry, romance. passion Of life.
(. Alter lime Uncle Drummer
III. and VIC sent for doctor !.
Dr. Traltles Jex was the metll
,hs man of our county. He lived in NJ
dleburn, seven miles away, and
came tro,ting over on a great
horse, with a pair of saddle-b
hanging like Gilpin's bottles ono
oys either side. He1ooked as diminni
'us' as 8 monkey perched on the
nsi- horses back, and indeed he was
leal wee bit pawky body" as Was sait
Tommy Moore. But, bless me
the was az pompous aud sclt-impori
,di. as though he had found the plac
irly stand on, and could move tho We
,lse with his little lever. a red ha
kerchicf carefully pinned across
;.,o chest showed thai he had lungs al
nn M mother. His boots wero polished
,spr sa tho last degree. His pink and bei
,ha less face betrayed his youth; and
~ /, yoice--ah! his voice! What a tr
tha ~ nre it would have beer conldhe b
,as ~. let il out to masgucradersl Whet
it was just changing from thu
IN, youth TO that OF man, or whether,
nrs ,w reading and writing, it "cane by
span ture," ! can't tell. One instant 1t
'e No deep and bass,the nextsqneaking
~ soprano. No even tenor about
yoicel