Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-10-12
POOR UNCLE IKE.
Patiently Watching and Waiting
For His Mandy"


"NIiss Lucy, will you do mo dc favor
10 read dis letter TO me-" he asked
fumbling awlswardly in his pocket ns
he spoke, and presently bringing to
view n dirty yellow envelope, which
he held out to me with u trembling
hand.
why, who can be writing to you,
Uncle IkeP" ! asked, smiling at the
look OF expectancy on his black face
Oats jes' what Use been akin my
se'f ebber sencc de postmaster glib me
dat letterV' he exclaimed, in n voice
that shook with excitement. Nov, /
WIS tinkin', MS | como up from de
cabin, dat may be hit mought be from
Mandy. | drcmpt last night dat | seed
her a-comin' along de little lane yonder,
jcs' as material as she ebber looked in
her life, an somehow i can't git dat
up dis mornin', 'clar to gracious if
didn't 'spect TO see Mandy bustlin'
aroun' in de cabin, dat dream wus so
plain befo' my eyes! An when | got
dis letter, so oncXpccted-like- dc very
fust ebber got in my life-I said TO
myself: Maybe dat dreams a-gwinc to
come true. Maybe Use gwinc TO sec
my Mandy sho 'nough! But read de
letter, please, Miss Lucy, fur Use jes' on
nettles TO know what's in itI'
| opened the letter little gingcrly il
must be confessed, for it had the odor
of onions and tobacco clinging to it, and
looked as if it might have been tished
out of some rubbish pile. Uncle Ike
leaned eagerly forward, his mouth wide
open, and his dim eyes fixed intontly
on my face, waiting for me to begin.
II was very remarkable letter-re-
markable in more ways than one. In
the first place, it was not dated at all,
and the words were iumbled together in
manner that would have puzzled an
expert mt letter reading. However, by
dint of hard study and frequent pauscs,
/ managed to decipher tho most of it,
and as nearly us could make it out, it
ran thus:
mi deer husban talk mi Pen in han
10 Rite yu Few lines TO Lett yu no
That Am wei an Hop when yu reeve it
VIII fine you enjoyin The Same blessin
Man frum logan county wus up here
a da or to ago an Tole Nee that yu wus
Livin down Thar an that he Seed yu to
weaks Ago am Comm to yu rite Strate
When can PAX my Cloes haint thot
NY Marryin no more an am Glald to
here yu haint. yu can Look for me
emmy Day so fair the well an no more
Frum your Troo wife mandy fields the
rose is redd the vilets blue candy is
sweet and so is yu."
II said hit mought be from Mandy !"
cried Uncle Ike, when / had finished.
He was rubbing his wrinkled hands to-
gether, twisting his black face into all
sorts of shapes, and acting altogether
in such a ridiculous manner, that
dropped the letter, and laughed till the
tears ran down my checks.
why, Uncle Ike" said, when
could find voice to speak, II didn't
know you had wife anywhere in the
world / was under the impression that
you had strong notion of courting
Dinah. lnotice that you go to the bot
toms nearly every week"
''Sho Miss Lucy, does you tink I'd
be fool enough to marry dat moon-eyed
Niger ? Why, dat Dinay couldn't hold
n candle to my ole oman ~ and Uncle
Ike gave a sniff of contempt. II aint
a-courtin' OBJ nobody down in dem
swamps, honey. Lord Lord how my
ole heart does beat wild joy dis mawnin'
To tink dat Mandy haint forgot me in
all desc long years, an dat she's alibe
is red, de vi'let's blue, was allus Mandy's
favorite po'try. used TO say dat berry
varse to her ebry time ! went to see
her, when was a-courtin' of her, an
she haint forgot hit yit Bress de Lord!
] feel jes' like gittin' down on my knees
right heah, an otferin' up pra'ar."
"An' now, Miss Lucy, if you aint in
no hurry bout sowin' dem flower-seed,
I'LL jes' run back to de cabin an go to
fixin' up t'ings little. Mandy allus
was de peartest oman ebber sot eyes
on, an don't want her to find II speck
hunt up pane OBJ glass for de winder;
dem rags an papers does look mighty
onnery.n
but stop moment, Uncle Ike" /
said, as he turned away. "You must
tell me something about Mandy. Why
have you been separated so long?n
"'Scuse me, honey, for not 'splainin'
t'ings, but hit pears as if Use clean
lost my senses ebber sence you read
me dat letter." and Uncle Ike removed
his hat again, while the smile on his
face deepened into broad grin.
"You see," he went on, "when me
and Mandy was sot free, we had no
money wort talkin' bout, so Mandy
she said maybe I'd better run de ribber
awhile, an she'd hire out somewhar to
cook, SOS we could sabe little. Well,
agreed, an went oil on the ribber, an
was gone six months. 81 was toolSen
with fever down in Now Orleans, an
had no chance TO send any money home.
When Idid git back, found that Man
dy had been gone away nigh on to four
months. She went of 10 Ioway wild
some white folks, who wanted her for
nuss, and dats de las / ebber heered
of my ole oman till to-day. 'Tse roam.
ed round heap sence den, but haini
nebber come across Mandy, nor foun
anybody dat knowed whar she was An
10 t'ink dat Use foun' her after all desc
years-hit jes' seems too good to be
truer'
at seems that she has found yoH
Uncle Iks." ] said, "ior there II moth
iug eDQpt the letter to tell where I