The Osceola times., 1888-10-13
POOR UNCLE IKE.
Patiently Watching and Waiting
For His Mandy"


Uncle Ike shambled up to the open
window whore ] sat sewing, took of his
battered straw hat, and bowed low in
his humble, old-iashioned way.
Miss Lucy, will you do me dc favor
20 read dis letter TO me-" he asked,
fumbling awkwardly in his pocket as
he spoke, and presently bringing to
view a dirty yellow envelope, which
he held out TO me with a trembling
hand.
'Why, who can be writing TO uot,,
Uncle lke?" ] asked, smiling at the
look OF expectancy on his black face.
"Dat's jes' what Use been akin my
SET obber sence de pos master glib me
dat letter. he exclaimed, in voice
that shook with oxcitement Now, |
WIS t'inkin', as | come up from de
cabin, dat may be hit mougLt be from
Mandy. | drempt last night dat seed
her a-comin' along de little lane yonder,
jes as material as she obber looked in
her life, an somehow | can't git dat
dream outen my mind. When | woke
up dis mornin', / 'clar TO gracious if !
didn't 'spect to see Mandy bustlin'
aroun' in dc cabin, dat dream wus SO
plain befo' my eyes! An when I got
dis lettor, 30 onexpccted-like-d very
mst cbbor got in my life-1 said to
mysef: Maybe dat dreams a-gwine TO
come true, Maybe Use gwinc TO see
my Mandy sho 'noughr But read de
let'er, please, Miss Lucy, fur Use jes' on
Dettlos 10 know what's in itr'
lopcned ] the letter little gingerly II
must be confessed, for it had the odor
of onions and tobacco clinging to it, and
looked as II it might have been fshed
out of some rubbish pile. Uncle Ike
leaned eagerly forward, his mouth wide
open, and his dim eyes fixed intently
on my face, waiting for me TO begin.
1t was a 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
a manner that would have puzzled an
expert at letter reading. However. by
dint of hard study and frequent pauses,
j managed to decipher the most of it,
and, rs nearly as could make it out, it
ran thus:
"mi deer husban tax mi Pen in han
20 Rite yu Few lines 10 Lett WI no
That Am wei an Hop when yu reeve it
VII fine you enjoyin The Same blessin
a Man frum logan county WIS up here
a da or TO ago an Tole Nee that WI 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
NV 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 rodd the vilets blue candy is
sweet and so is yu.n
II said hit mought be from Mandy ~
cried Uncle Ike, whom | had finished.
He was rubbing his wrnkled hands to-
gethcr, twisting his black face into all
sorts of shapes, and acting altogether
In such ridiculous manner, that |
dropped the letter, and laughed till the
tears ran down my cheeks.
why, Uncle Ike,n ! said, when |
could find voice to speak, II didn't
know you had wife anywhere in the
world l was under the impression that
you had a strong notion of courting
Diaah. notice 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
niggerp Why, dat Dinay couldn't hold
n candle 10 my ole oman y and Uncle
Ike gave sniff OF contempt. ii aint
a-courtin' oh 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
an well ! An dat las line bout de rose
is red, dc vi'let's blue, was allus Mandy's
favorite po'try. l 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 oiferin' up praar."
"An' now. Miss Lucy, If you aint in
no hurry bout sowin' dem fower-seed,
I'll jes' run back to de cabin an 60 to
fxin' up tings a little. Mandy allus
was de peartest oman | ebber sot eyes
on, an don't want her TO find speck
OBJ dirt down dar. reckon better
hunt up pane oh glass for de winder;
dem rags an papers does look mighty
onnery."
But stop moment, Uncle Ike" i
said, as he turned away. "You must
tell me something about Mandy. Why
have you been separated so longr'
Scuse me, honey, for not 'splainin'
tings, but hit pears as II Use clean
lost my senses ebber sence you read
me dat letter." and Uncle Ike removed
MS hat again, while the smile on his
lace deepened into broad grin.
You see," he went on, "when me
ana 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,
iagreed, an went of on the rbber. an
was gone six months. IL was tooken
WAN fever down in New Orleans, an
"ad no chance to send any money home.