Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-03-24
ARTLESS UNCLE ARTS.
BY ED. r. PRICHARD.

|
when having been freed by the fortune
of war he came North and settled in
Irwin Township among a thriving COM
munity Of his own people. and where
he has since resided. He is now quite
well-to-do, being the owner of nice
eighty aero farm, we'll stocked, and
having besides snug little balance in
the bank
But the old fellow is character and
no mistake. When he comes to town
he always has q reception at Alex.
| Dukes bake-shop, and the funny things
that happen there some days would
furnish good Photographer with ma.
terial enough to last him fortnight
| Uncle Arts has, however, one hobby
in which he tlkes special pride, and
that is his knowledge of horse flesh. He
is also something of a politician, and in
view of his influence i'll his settlement,
is q member of the County Central
Committee. If | were so disposed |
! could, of course, tell to which party
| Uncle Arts belonged, but that Is a
matter of minor importance. Suffice
| it to say that in local elections he has
sometimes been known to work for the
"other side and generally carried his
neighborhood with him, too, when he
did it. | have heard it limited also that
these tiops of the old fellow were di-
rectly due to the fact that he loaned
money and rarely let slip an opportun-
ity to earn an honest dollar. is it any
wonder, then, with his occupation as
farmer, stock raiser, politician and
horse trader, that lie has thrived and
| prospered, and is known far and wide
as the wealthiest man in his settlement.
But this is not tel ing my story. About
a month ago Uncle Arts loaned a little
dun mare which he owns to a Mr..
| Reynolds, the sheriff, to help him
through siege of extra riding, occa-
stoned by an unusual rush of business
in the County Court, which was then
in session. At the same time, too,
! Uncle Arts was, and is yet for aught |
! know, the owner of beautiful blaci
tilly, for which he had long wanted
match. Some of the "boys," though
most of them were men past middle
age, got up plan to play q practical
| Joke on the cd fellow, just to show
him there were some things about
horse trading which, old as he was, he
bad not learned.
SO, having induced the sheriff to join
in the scheme, they hired an expert to
dye the little dun mare beautiful
glossy black, and as she was much the
same size and build as the little black
filly, they surmised that Uncle Arts
would be ready to either trade or pur-
chase in order to get the match team
he had so long wanted.
| Finally all was in readiness and they
only waited patiently for the old fellow
to come to town, which he did one
SATURDAY afternoon. AS he sat in the
bake-shop, RECALLING himself with o
glass of cider and a huge piece of
Washington pie, in stepped Dave Stew
art, one OF the conspirators.
Hello, Uncle Arts" he began, "got
anything to trade to-day?"
Goose l has," he replied as we'll as
he could with a mouth full of pie.
'Co'se | has; yeh knows I'd git up in
the night an bun the las shut l got to
git chance to swap bosses"
By this time two or three of the
others, who were in the scheme,
dropped" in, and among them was
Cap" Lumpshen, farmer and trader
who lived close to town and who had
been selected as the man to sell or
trade to Uncle Arts match for his
black tilly.
SWELL" continued Stewart, in reply
to the old mans remark, 81 haven't
anything to trade, but Cap here"
pointing to Lumpshen, who had just
taken seat at an ad dining table, "has
got plain dead match for that little
black tilly of yourn; an he's the man
you want to talk to"
Say, Cap, where you git dat critter?
III she matches mine L done glib you
hummin good trade"
-, Itraded for her last week, replied
| "Cap," "and come to think about it,
my animal does match yours. How'll
you trade?"
"Whar is she?" asked the old man,
rising from the table as he spoke.
Right out here in the alley; let's go
and look at her."
The party thereupon ad burned to
the allie in the rear of the bake-shop,
where stood the once dun, but now
beautiful black mare.
Uncle Arts walked all about her,
lifted her feet, looked into her mouth,
examined her eyes, rubbed her limbs,
pulled her tail and finally stepped back
Tor a general critical survey at a dis
| lance.
After scratching his head thought
| fully for q moment he askel: cap,
whar you say you git this animule?
Done pears to me I'll orter know dat
boss, an I'll be dog bite eff hain't seed
'er sum'hercs."
Cap started in with some cock and
| bull story as to how and when he had
obtained the mare, but he never fin
ished it.
Uncle Arts had taken off his hat and
| placing it on his stick he walked up to
the mare saying: "Now, Dolly, jes'
| lift it; one, two, three" At the word
three" Dolly did lit it. Her heels
flew into the air like a streak of light,
and that hat went sailing twenty feet
! skyward, while the would-be iokers,
perfectly dumfounded, stood by in
silence. AS he regainel his battered
tile, ncle Arts. with wonderfully
wicked twinkle in his eye, said: cap,
| doan' want no sech dang mean crit
ter as that brute on my place. She's
| jes like that pesteren little dun mare
+ what loaned to Mistah Kennels. She
kick vo' shut off fore yo' knows it. No,
/ doan want ter trade"
Here all interest in the horse trade
closed. One of the boys proposed an
4 70 Inln Mooo1 Loar C,o rJn,,