River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-05-20

Old Nose. who sells eggs and chick
ems on the streets of Austin for living
is as honest an old negro as ever lived,
but be has got the habit of chatting
familiarity with his customers, hence he
frequently makes mistakes 10 counting
out the eggs they buy. He carries his
wares around in a small cart drawn by
a diminutive donkey. He stopped in
front Of the residence Of Mrs. Samuel
Burton. The old lady herselfcame out
to the gate to make the purchases.
"Haveyo any eggs this morning,
Uncle Mose?' she asked.
Yes, indeed As. jest got in ten
dozen from de kentry."
Are they frcsh?''
qua ntee EN-. / knows ley am
fresh Jess the same Is IF had laid EN-
myself
"I'H take nine dozen. You can Just
count them into this basket
"Ali right, num- Hccounts, ''One.
two. free. tOah. five, six seben. eight,
nine. ten. You kin RELY on dem bein
fresh. How Your son coming on al
lie SCHOOL, He mus be mos grown.
Yes. Uncle Nose, he Is clerk in s
bank at Galveston.
"Why, how ole am de boy?"
He is eighteen. ~
You don't tole me 50. Eighteen
and getting a salary already, eighteen
(countIng). nineteen tweniy-onc,
twenty-five. twenty zee, twenty -foah,
twenty-five. and now yore gal comm
on? She was mos growed up de las
time | seed her.
She is married. and living in
Dallas"
We'll. l declar' How de time
scoo's away, An yo' say she has
ehlldruus? Why. how ole am dc gal2
She mus be jess about
'-Ihirty-three.
( tirtv-foah. tirty-fve. lirty-slN. fjrtv-
-ebcn. ii-ty-eight, tiJty-nine. forty,
forty-one torty-two, forty-free. Hit
Am dat so? (counting). friy-free.
am so singular dat you has sich ole.
childruns | can't b'leevh YOU has
grauchildruns. You don't 10. k more
den forty yeahs ole yerself."
Nonsense, old man, / see on want
20 Halter me. When Il person gets 20
+ be tifty-three years old"
''Fifty-freo2 jess dun gwinter
b eeyc hit. tifty-free, iifty-foah. fifty
five, tifty-siN-I want You 10 pay
/ tenshun when | counts de eggs. so
. dar Il be uo mistake -iity-uinc. sixty,
-lNty-onc, siXty-two. siNty-frec. sixty
( f0ah-N hew. Dat am warm
/ day. Dis am de time oh yeah
when feels I'sc geutin' ole
myself. | amt long fer dis world
/ You comes from an ole family. When
I your fodder died he was sebentv years
ole.
'Seyenty-two.
Oats Old. suah. Sebentv-two, seb-
/ enty-free. seheDtv-foah. 5ebenty-fiye.
I sebenty-six. sebenty-sebed. sebeutv-
eight, sebenty-nine- and your mudder?
She was one Oh lie nOblcst looking
ladies / ebbcr see. You reminds me
oh her so much. She lihbcd 10 mos a
hundred. / believes She was done pass
Il centurion when she died.
No. uncle Nose, she was only nine
ty-six when she died
Den she warn I TO chicken when
Sle died know dat niretY-siN.
uiuety-seben. ninety-eight, ninety-uiuc.
one hundred. one, two. free. fo&h. i've,
six. seben. eight-dar los nice fresh
. eggs-icss nine dozen, and here am
one noah egg in case ! has discounted
mysr'f.
Old Nose went on his way rejoicing
4 few DAYS aftcrward Mrs Barton
said to her husband:
II am afraid we viii have to dis
charge Matilda. ! am satisfied she
steals the milk and eggs. ! ann posi-
trc about the eggs. for l bought Them
day before Yesterday, and now about
half Of them are gone. | stood right
there and heard Odd Nose count them
myself and there were nine dozen. -
-'Tcras SJfiuys