New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-04-25
The Young Mans Incipient M.us.

OIS1GOs
A young man whom we shall cali
Jeffords, when he was twenty years
old, went to visit his grandmother, a
very old lady, whom he had not seen
since he was a boy of ten years. She,
Of course, remembered him as a boy,
I'd did not realize that he was a.
young man. The down on the young
mans upper lip had given place to a
brown shade of something that prom
ised In time to become a. real mus
tache, and very proud was Joe of this
production, though he could not en-
dure that any comments should be
made upon it by his friends.
One of his grandmother childish
weaknesses was q constant fear that
there were cancerous tendencies in her
system, and that for this reason prob
ably she was always watching for
such tendencies IN other people.
The afternoon of Joe's arrival,
twelve or fifteen young ladies of the
neighborhood had met at grandma
Jefford's to tack q pair Of comforts
for her. They were full OF life and fun,
and were laughing and chatting around
the quilting-frames when Joe arrived.
The sight Of so many strange girls en-
barrassed the young man greatly, but
he finally mustered up courage to en-
ter the room, and say
Chow do you do, grandmother
"Who be your" asked the old lady,
shading her dimmed eyes with one
hand, and trying togeta distinct view
Of Joe.
tWhy? Don't you know me, grand
mother? Pm your son Roberts boy,
joe"
"What, little joel"
The young ladies giggled, and Joe,
who was five feet eleven, looked sheep
ish, but replied
Not SO very little now, grandmoth-
er."
The old lady's eyesight was almost
gone. She could not clearly see OBJ
lects at q distance of even two or
three feet. Come here, joey" she
said.
Joe crossed the room, and stood by
the lounge on which his grandmother
was lying
why, kneel down, Joey, SO that I
can see you BETTER
Joe knelt down.
His grandmotherlooked at him with
her dim eyes, unable to realize that Joe
had changed from a boyto the tall fell
low that he was. But Joe was great
ly embarrassed, and heartily wished
that he or those girls had stayed at
home. After q few pleasant words, the
old lady suddenly raised herself, and
cried OUT
'Joey! Joseph Jeffords!"
eyes, grandmother"
"What's that on your upper lip,
child?"
Joe felt flame of fire sweep across
his face, and the perspiration came
out on his forehead.
"1t's-it's nothing" he stammered.
Nothing! How can you say that?
Something is the matter with your
lip. What is it?''
Urged to desperation, poor Joe
stammered out, why, grandmother,
~ s-iO s-Hy musIacne!
Here thegirls giggled.
The old lady was nearly deaf, as
well as half-blind. NWhat did you
say?" she asked.
'lt's my mustache!' Joe shouted,
his face deep crimson.
With a sigh OF relief, but with a qui-
ct smile on her face, the old lady
leaned back on her pillows, saying
IS that all? / was Altered it might
be cancer. Anyhow, it looked as if
q bad humor was breaking out
Joe begged to be excused, saying his
horse needed looking after, and hur-
riedly left the house, amid the sup
pressed laughter of the girls. He did
not enter that room again, but found
it convenient to talk with grandpa
in the barn, until he knew that "those