The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-08-29
dait and 9umor.
How .old Nose, Counted Eggs.

Old Nose. who sells eggs and chickens
in Austin for living, is as honest an old
negro as ever lived, but he has got the
habit of chatting Familiarity with his Gus
toners, hence he frequently makes mis-
takes in counting out the eggs they buy.
He carries his wares around in small cart
drawn by diminutive donkey. He stopp-
ed in front of the residence of Mrs. Sam
Burton. The old lady herself came out to
the gate to make the purchases.
Have you any eggs this morning, Tn
Gle Nose 2" she asked.
...Yes, indeed l has Jest got in ten
dozen from de kentry."
Are they fresh r.
II gua'ntee 'em. knows dey aln fresh
less the same as eff had laid en- myself.
.sIll take nine dozen. You can just
count them into this basket.
eAll right, mum. He counts, Gone,
two, free, foah, FIVE, six, seben, eight, nine,
ten. You kin rely ON dem being fresh.
Iow's your son coming on at de SCHOOL,
He mus be mos grown.
eyes. Uncle Nose, he is clerk IN
bank at Galveston"
sWhy, how ole am de boy?
Gle is eighteen"
ssYou don't told me SO. Eighteen and
getting salary already, eighteen Count
ing), nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty
two, twenty-five, twenty-foah, twenty-five,
and hows yore gal comm on? She was
mos growed up de las time | seed her..
aShe is married and living in Dallas.
aWaIl, / declar. How de time scoots
away An 20 say she has childruns?
Why, how ole am de gal? She mus be
Jess about"
aThirty-three."
cam dat so? (counting), frty free, frty-
foah, firty-fve, frty-six, firty-seben, frty-
eight, firty-nine forty, forty -one, forty-two,
forty-free. Hit am so singular dat you has
granchiIdruns. You don't look more den
forty yeahs ole yersef.
s.Nonsense, old man, / see you want to
fatter me. When person gets to be fifty
three years old
"Fifty-free2 / jess dun gwinter b'leeVe
hit, ffty-free, fifty-foah, fifty-fye, ffty-six
II want you to pay tenshun when | counts
de eggs, SO dar'll de no mistake-ffty-nine,
sixty, sixty-one, sixty two, sixty-free, sixty
foah-Whew Dat am warm day. Dis
am de time OBJ yeah when feel Use gettin'
old myself. / amt long fer dis world.
You comes from an old family When
your fodder died he was sebenty years ole. :
"Seyenty-two."
Oats old, suah. Sebenty-two; seben-
ty-free, sebenty-foah, sebenty-fve, sebenty-
six, sebenty-seben, sebenty eight, sebenty-
nine-and your mudder2 She was one
OBJ de noblest looking ladies l ebber see.
You reminds me OBJ her so much. She
libbed to mos hundred. | bleeves she
was done pass centurion when she died. !"
@No, uncle Nose, she was only ninety
six when she dice"
aDen she warn't no chicken when she
died. I know dat-ninety-six, ninety
seben, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hun
bred, one, two, free, foah, five, six, seben,
eight-dar 108 nice fresh eggs jess nine
dozen, and here am one noah egg IN case
has discounted myse'f."
Old Nose went on his way rejoicing. A
few days afterward Mrs Burton said to her
husband
81 am afraid we will have to discharge
Matilda | am satisfied she steals the
milk and eggs. am positive about the
eggs, for bought them day before yester-
day, and now about half of them are gone.
l stood right there and heard Old Nose
count them myself and there were nine
Dozen"