The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-28

Nv
YNBSSX it might have done is dead
>STA& and gone as Uncle Samuel
fE is. But to begin at the be-
NJ ginning-which is ship
shape and suits me, being an orderly man
always.
Ny Uncle Samuel was my guardian, my faith
er and uncle rolled into one, and took care of
me after my own father was drowned. My
mother was Uncle Samuel sister, and became
his bousekeeper after fathers death, attended
to her brothers. business when he was out at
sea, put up with all his bad tempers when he
was OH shore and was ga perfect slave to the old
BRUTE it was said in Deal; though my mother
was only hard working woman, and Sam
Nangle was not exactly brute. However, my
mother did not live to see her brother at his
worst-that was in the latter years of his life,
when lie lost the proper use of his limbs and
had to creep about the house, clinging to the
walls and furniture, to toddle down the
street with couple of clutches which would
always go very wide apart, and which he was
never able to use with any fair amount OF
grace. At this period of his career Samuel
Nangle was certainly trying, and no one was
more certain of that than myself, his nephew
Martin. Townsend, at your service. The
most trying time was when 1 was about five
and twenty years of age, and mother had been
dead fifteen out of them. Then he was q
trouble to most folks who had anything to do
with him, to me in particular, to whom the
care of the Flying Fish Inn, and of the Flying
Fish steamtug. and of my uncle, the proprietor
of both these Flying Fish, had come by way of
natural sequence, as the saying is.
"Not that you're going TO have my little tug,
when I'm dead and gone, Martini my uncle
would say; they're both too good for you and
haven't shaved and toiled and moiled all these
blessed years to fatten a lazy hunk like you.
L1oiit Expect anything st fay death, ii Il 81 4
be more out of your reckoning than you have
ever been in your life. You've been too pig
headed too stuck-up, too damned silly to please
me, and you must take the consequences. And
I hope before you die, Martin, and when YOU
findyourseif in the work house, that you'll be
sorry you didn't treat me better when you had
somebody to see after you, and to keep house
over your soft head. There, get out" And l
got out accordingly, and left him to his own
company in the little room at the back of the
bar, where nobody came now to smoke pipe
or drink glass of grog with him, my uncle
having insulted everybody all round long ago,
and lost all his customers, who would not como
and spend money and get drunk in his back
parlor to be told they were fools and asses, and
encumbrances on the face of the arth, and glib
bering, soldering idiots, who knew no more
about Deal, or ships, or the sea than his spit
toon there.
1t was Uncle Samuel's dea-and am rather
disposed to think that all uncles have weak
ness this way-that no one knew anything save
himself, that no one had ever done anything
that was worth mentioning except himself
that no one had ever been SO wise, so careful,
so far-seeing, so lucky, so plucky as he, and it
was his great atfiiction now that, though every
body knew this as well as he did, there was no
one to say it to his face like a man, or give
q e., T. Il
man nature, for he knew everything, but he
sat in his big chair by the fire and cursed hui
man nature for all that, and when tired of
eursng human nature i'll the abstract he would
set to work cursing me-
Well, yes, a dreadful man in many Wavs I
own it. There was not much Disgusting Of it
in Deal, though did my best to keep the old
mans name sweet in Bilge street, where he
lived.
''Why you don't cut and run from him I
can't make out" was said to me by way of
sage advice. "The way you're treated, too.
It's abominable"
But I could not cut and run from so helpless
an old man. He was so terrible alone, and my
mother brother, too who had taken care of
us when father went to the bottom of the sea-
My uncle told me about twice day was
stopping for what 1 could get--what would
come to me after he was gone but he had al
ready warned me there would be nothing for
my share, and / knew that lawyers had been
sent for and his will made long ago, and / was
out OF it. Uncle Samuel had one virtue-he
was always charmingly Internally
rude, some people said-and he led me dis
tincty to understand that 1 was "out Of it"
for many resons he was not going to explain to
q labbering parrot like me who would 90 and
tell all Deal half an hour after | had heard
them. Sometimes l fancied that he wanted
mo to get away, though What he would have
done without me, heaven knows, do not
But then am o little cOnceited, like nv UNI
Gle He always said was stuck up, and If So
it was in the family. Whether Uncle Samuel
was rich or poor was matter of grave specu.
Iaton to me, and more than me. 1t was gen
orally considered that lie was q rich man--that
he must have made lot OF money, and have
a rare long stocking somewhere. If the Flying
FISH Inn had not been profitable speculation
the Flying Fish tug had been, and he III the
DAYS OF his health and strength had certainly
been a shrewd fellow, and not overburdened
in any way by principles. He had had his
trials, certainly-he had even been tried for
smugging-but the tug had brought him in
considerable profits, and lie was invariably so
early at a wreck that there were few evil
minded folk to fancy lie must have arranged
the wreck beforehand, which, Of course, was
not always possible. And he had never been
afraid Of work-doWnright hard, awful work
in the face OF the storm, and Of the death
which the storm threatened, and Dare Devil
Sam had been his nickname in the town for
years before his daIe-der!.ship stumped about
the streets OF crutcles.
I1emember the last winter ! spent with my
uncle very well; il was memorable season,
and his manners were peculiar, even for him.
He was getting worse and worse, they said ia
Bilge street, the nci-hfoH were not safe from
SCOTS and taHnts when they passed Linn In the
street. and the little children shrieked At sight
of him and ran away, though their big BROTH
srs made up for tlis D. throwing tones In tie
corner Of the bar-parior he was only boaraile
when last asleep, or altcr uls fourteenth glass
of grog. when no would become boastiul of his
past exploits, or maud.in over tho LelplcssueBs
which hmdered him from repeating them.
Evol In his miserable old ago lie seemed 20
love the sea, and to be more keen and cear in