The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-09-27
UNCLE JACOBS RUSE.
A Change in His W ill Produces q
Happy Effect.

Jenny and Lucy Bagley were the pref
test two girls in Balky Bottom. Their
mother was very proud of them, and
though a widow in straitened circum-
stances she strained her narrow means
10 put them at the new seminary.
The ambitious mother might have
found it difficult to carry through
her plans if an only brother, several
wears her senior. who had run away
when a boy, and who had long ago
been given up for dead, hadn't come
back one day as suddenly as he had
disappeared, with no end of money in
his pocket, still bachelor.
Uncle Jacob RansOwer, in spite of
his grotesQue dialect and old-fashioned
manners. soon became a great favor
ite with Jenny and Lucy. By sort
of tacit understanding he took up his
home in his sister, house, and from
that time the latter was relieved from
all anxiety on the score of her daugh-
tiers education, Uncle Jacob thence
forward cheerfully paying their bills,
including all the extras"
The girls came home finished at
last, and Uncle Jacob was leased into
buying grand piano, with half cart
load of fashionable music.
The sisters would have had hocks of
beaux, for they were not only remark
ably pretty. but, as every body knew,
they would one day come into Uncle
Jacobs money; but they held their
heads so very high that there wasn't
youth in Balky Bottom adventurous
enough to spunk up to them. Even
Hiram Hoppick. VINO used to be rather
spry in his attentions to Jenny in the
ante-seminary days. and Reuben Ruck-
man, who used to bask in an occa-
sional smile of Lucy's in the same
biissful period, hung back now like
brace of bashful school-hoys with their
fingers in their mouths.
At last star of the first magnitude
set the armament of Balky Bottom all
ablaze. 1t was no less a luminary
than Mr.. Cleophas Brassey. Uncle
Jacob, who had caught from his nieces
touch of the seminarian idiOm, pro-
nounced him ''mooch too quote"
But the ladies nonconcurred. Mr..
Brassey, in their eyes, was a perfect
Prince Charming; and when they
came to know him, and heard him
sing: Me hawt is fawh, fawh away!"
"a statement with probably more
truth than poetry in it-Jenny declared
he was nicer than a-a-, and Lucy
quite agreed with her.
For the first time in their lives was
there any jealousy between the sisters.
For time Mr.. Brassey distributed
mis- attentions impartially between the
two. 1t would have puzzled him, in
deed. to give reason for prefer
ence. In point of looks, neither sister
had the advantage. and Uncle Jacobs
money. it was understood, was to go
to them in equal portions
But Cleephas Brassey was of more
practical turn of mind than the meta
physical donkey that starved to death
between two haystacks, for want of a
philosophical reason for choosing the
one rather than the other Uncle
Jacob was complaining a good deal
lately of 'pnzzin' in his het, and
had put himself on double rations of
blackstrap as remedy. Feeling there
vas no time to lose, Mr.. Brassey, in
the privacy of his chamber, christened
his meerschaum Jenny and his tobacco
stopper Lucy. and went over the old
Juvenile rigmarole by which school
boys decide who's first to be hare.
The last word fell to Lucy; so Lucy it
was
From that time forth it ceased to be
question where Mr.. Brassey's pre-
objections lay. 1t was nothing but
Lucy with him now.
MIR. Brassey would have proposed
TO Lucy without delay, but he was
little dubious on the score of Uncle
Jacob. 1t would be just like that OBJ
stlnate old Dutchman. if he didn't like
the match, to express his disapproval
oy disinheriting clause in his will.
But at last circumstance occurred
that couldn't fail to give Mr.. Brassey
considerable lift in Uncle Jacobs
opinion. Lawyer Hacker, with whom
AR. b. seemed to have good deal OF
business lately, came liz hot haste in
search of that gentleman, whom he
found on the widows back porch max
ing himself quite one of the family
Uncle Jacob, with his corncob pipe
and pitcher of blackstrap. thanking
the party.
Il have just received" said the law
yer, breaking in on the company with
lie air Of one on pressing business.
an offer of two hundred thousand dol
.ars for your Florida plantation
What answer shall l givef
Say I've changed my mind and
mt wish to SELL" carelessly replied
the other. turning to resume his tetc-
a-t. te with Lucy and Hacker left
Uncle Jacobs ears had not been idle;
and when. in the evening. it was dis
closed in family council that Mr..
brassey had that afternoon proposed
oLncy. the old gentleman, instead OF
exploding as mad been feared, smoked
Ms pipe in silence. and when that and
the b'ackstrap were finished. betook
himself quietly to bed.
Next morning Uncle Jacob was OF
oetimes to town. Going straight to
lawyer Hackers Office, he sought