Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-10-10
ssThat's better"
kx

down to the city. u
"And get Uncle Zeb Larkin to go with
u.s." -,
s'Jolly blue, that soo,tld be lark. Bless
you, Will, but do you suppose we can ge,
him to go?''
Nothing like trying" Will was evi
IDENTIFY In q condensed state this morning,
and his words were like his mothers
cookies, crisp and right to the point.
Uncle Feb Larlin was a character, and as
such source Of delight to his neiRhbors,
and especially Of the younger fry, who took
especial pleasure in rousinR his excitable
temper and bringing out his peculiarities
for their amusement.
He was q small, withered man, with q
smooth, round face in which shrew iness
and good humor were about equally blend
ed; bachelor and living by himself, in the
oldest of queer little houses, where he
patched his clothes and boarded himself In
his own eccentric fashion.
He had a horror Of new Inventions, and
when the railroad came tearing through
Jones' Hollow, whistling past within few
rods of his own door, he was justly indig-
nant.
1.-THE murderin' thing! All on airth its
good fur is to run down calves an chick
ems, an blow up PASSENGERS" he exclaimed,
wrathfully.
1t had long since ceased to be an object Of
curiosity, however, and Uncle Zeb was
forced to admit that it did come handy for
that scurrying class OF people who were al
ways in q hurry, but he had never trusted
his own precious body to its precarious
mercies, and his short journeys had always
been made on foot, stumping along with his
knotty, rugged cane in hand, his baggage,
provided he had any, slung on the end OF his
old cotton umbrella over his shoulder.
o;f cy,1xy hnf
Uncle Zeb had never been there but once,
and that was on the occasion of a favorite
Presidents inauguration, and he had been
so Disguised with the noise and hustle OF
the place that he had declared that nothing
should ever tempt him there again, so that
the task which the boys had set for them
selves promised to be one requiring both
strategy and perseverance.
"No'p, tell you no'p," he replied, obsti-
nately, when they preached the subject.
'.I've never rid on them ere keers, an
meyer intend to. Eff young ones like you
wants ter risk yer necks, We ken. Two er
three boys more err less wont be 60 greet
loss to tn community no how" with q sly
twinkle of his shrewd old eyes.
''Now, Uncle Zeb, that's too bad" cried
Sam. "You know the whole town ,ud be in
mournin' if any thing should happen to us.
But we're going anyhow, and it's your
now, really"
Wen pay your fare, uncle, and your bill
at the hotel, and take you around to see
the elephant, BESIDES" said Will Warner.
His father was well-to-do and he had plenty
Of spending money.
"Bother the elephant! I never seed but
one, and he put his big hoof straight
through my melon patch. don't want to
see another
ssOh its not a real eephant WE mean Tn
Gle Zeb," laughed Sam, ''but the sights of
the city, you know; the theater, the gardens
or the museum. Wherever you want to
go.''
'They say the theater is a marster wicked
place." cautiously replied Uncle Zeb.
"Well, what If it is. Just one little wicked
won't hurt US. and we can go to meetin'
regular all summer to pay for IT," Will fore
saw a rich fund of amusement if they could
only get the old man started, and he was
much more pliable than they had expected
to find him.
''Say, Uncle Feb, didn't hear you say you
had to buy a new suit of clothesa" Sam
was stricken by a bright idea.
'Wali, yes. Ihev been thlnkin' ont, that's
fact"
''Then of course you want to go to the city
to pick them out. You can't get any thing
Stylish" with wink at Will. Tin the coun-
try, and besides, you can get them dirt cheap
in the city. That's all they do there, every
man crowdin' and trying to sell something
cheaper N his neighbour
''Mebbe, then, if I happen to strike the
last man he'll give me suit out N out"
Like as any way" SANS gravity was
convincing. "But you must look out for
those Jews, uncle; they'll grab on to you
and haul you into their shops and sell you
q suit before you can get a chance to say
Jack Robinson, and when you get it home
and examine 1t there'll be no end o. flies on
it. They're rummy boys those Jews are"
They'll get no flies OF on me.'' Uncle
Zeb was getting excited. The boys had
touched him IN a tender spot and the pros
pect Of getting cheap suit was bending his
mind in the desired direction. - II
when will you go, Uncle Zeba"
"Wall, mebbe, mebbe. Wen see. Shet
up yer teasin' an We'll see." And they
went away, exultantly confident that they
had gained their point
They found him brushed and polished to
the last degree when they went for HIM in
the morning On their way to the station; his
hair brushed up aud braided to cover his
bald head; q gorgeous new bandana hand
kerchief sticking out Of the pocket of his
old swallow-ta tail coat, which had done him
service for best since the momentous in
auguration before mentioned, when it had
been purchased in honor of the occasion; q
black stock, which the accommodating
tailor had thrown in to bind the bargain,
embraced his throat, forcing him to hold his
head very erect or have his ears sawed OF
by its stiff edge, and altogether he was a
very prim and trim specimen or an old
eaalaA.& 80