Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-06-10
From the Iowa State Register.l
HOW WE CURED UNCLE JAKE,
A STORY FOR BOYS.

Although hard times, hard work
and many privations are sure com,
panions of a pioneer life in the woods
still as [ look back through the shad,
oWs OF forty years to my childhood
days, when my father was engaged IN
clearing up a farm IN the woods OF
Michigan, the hand of time seems to
have softened our hardships and given
the pleasant portions OF our life a
touch of beauty that we did not then
appreciate. Among one of the pleas
ant occurrences that Inow Wellremem-
Der was a little episode that my cousin
Tom and / had with Uncle Jake Saw
yer. And although he has long since
passed away, and we still revere his
memory, still whenever [ think of it |
can scarcely refrain from laughing. He
was our neighbor, for the woods all
around us were dotted with patches
OF clearings that long since by the
hand of industry and unremitting
toll have widened out into rich and
arabic farms. He was an old bache-
Tor and IN many respects an oddity.
He was well educated, and at one time
had been an active and a busy member
OF society, but somehow he became dis
satisfied with the busting world and
had retired and settled down to the
quiet life Of a backwoodsman. He
possessed a quick, perceptive mind,
that ever bOrdered on the ridiculous,
ever ready to find the bright side of
gloomy things and to turn our juve-
nile troubles into merriment. He
seemed to have a passion for the night;
almost any moonlight night we could
hear the echo OF his ak coming from
his clearing. How often we children
used to coax away from home to
spend an evening around his blazing
log heaps, and listen to his stories Of
nightly rambles in the forest; tales
that thrilled our young hearts and in
spired US to hopes at least of deeds of
daring
His cabin was a CHEEKY, coy place
and favorite resort for US young peo-
pie for he was g, merry, fun-loving fell
low; in fact, a pratical Joker. And we
boys were Invariably his victims He
never allowed the sun to go down up
on All Fools Day" but some Of us
were thoroughly hoaxed. His stock
OF pranks seemed to be inexhaustible,
and were as diversified as they were
numerous. Now and then an unlucky
yOungster would seat himself in an ap-
parently sturdy Oaken chair by his
fireplace, when all at Onceit would col
lapse and fall into dozen pieces. Once
L remember he sent Cousin Tom nearly
two miles to the carpenters for a
ground square, and only a few DAYS
afterwards posted me off to the black
smiths for a F'three cOrnered rat-tail
file" A few experiences of this kind
soon taught the good natured young
fellows to be on their guard and keep
a weather eye" on him, but the more
we watched him, and the more we for
titled ourselves the more sure we were
to be vlctimized. So we changed our
base Of operations and concluded we
would ''pay him off in his own coin. !"
But ali our efforts seemed Ruthless;
his sagacity in anticipating our inten-
lions was wonderful and he invariably
turned the tables on US.
Once | remember Tom and laid a
scheme as we thought SO deep and Sc
cure that we were sure we would fetch
him" 1t was this: One day while
strolling through the woods we found
a large beech tree not far from his
cabin with quite an aperture in it
some fifteen feet from it's base It was
early in the summer and we conceived
the idea of slowing away some honey
comb in the hollow of the tree, believ-
ing that Uncle Jake, ever on the alert,
would think he had discovered a ''bee
tree, would quietly slip off by him.
self, cut it down, then-we would
laugh. We could scarcely wait for an
opportunity to put our plans in oper-
alton. But day or two afterwards
Uncle Jake went to a neighbours to
assist at a ''raising," and Tom and [,
equipped with honey, repaired to the
spot, and after asolid two hours work
slowed it nicely away. | think we
noon we dropped around as was our
custom to his cabin. He was prepar-
ing late dinner
"Come in, boys" he said in a most
suave manner. "Pull off your hats,
wash your faces, and | will soon give
you as fine a dinner of fried trout as
you ever ate" / imagine Tom and I
began to look little sheepish.
''Your old uncle knows how to fry
trout, don't he, boys?'' he continued
In his blandest manner.
"Of course you do" we replied, get
ting a degree or two more sheepish.
Lets see" he continued, chow old
are your"
We told him.
He then commenced talking, appar-
emily to himself. mo, it can't be