The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-04-23
UNCLE IKE.
How the Devil Ran Away with the Old
Mans Front Door.


curious, original characters in it that
Austin has, but OF them all there are
none OF more varied traits or Of
richer resource than Uncle Ike, relic
of the happy ante-bellum days who
lives In comfortable little cabin on
one of Austin's suburban plantations.
1t was during one of the recent
northers, little Katie, the daughter
of the planter on whose bounty Uncle
Ike subsisted, paid the old man a
visit.
He sat beside the fireplace, with his
withered hands outstretched to catch
the faint warmth which arose from the
few light sticks blazing on the hearth.
The little girl looked at him SYM
pathetically and exclaimed: "W'y,
Unite tie, is you so told?"
mighty co', honey, mighty COLI"
and the old man rubbed his hands
together without looking up.
"W'y, wat mates you told, Uncle
lite? l amt told mite"
Uncle Ike turned his eyes slowly
upon the pink-cheeked, red-lipped
little face at his elbow. Goose yer
hain't, honey. Young blood
runs VAIN an den you
hain't got no roomtiz. UGH
got der misery mighty bad myself long
dis yere leP laig," and he picked up a
piece of wood with a hinge hanging to
it and flung it on the fire.
"But, Unite lite wy don't you shut
the door? See, it's wide open, and all
the told viewer outside tan tome wife
f'ooW
"Well honey, dom yer see da' haint
no do dar- on'y jes hole whar de do
oughter be?" and Uncle Ike picked up
another piece with the mate to the
first hinge clinging to it, and threw it
on the embers.
"But Unite Ite were is the door?
zere listed to be one, cause 1 pinched
my fun in it one day. Don't you
member Wen 1 pinched my fun I'm
tie Ite~
Goose I does, honey, but dat don
put de do back. You see tain dar
now dom cher?"
Katie's head nodded assent, as with
wonder in her round eyes, she asked
"But were did it done to, Unite Ite?''
"W'at, dat do? well honey, you jes
set down on dis yere box by de fab an
lissen an 1 tell you all abouten
dat do, "and stirring up the
fire, the old man Strengthened back
and looked into the little girls face
oyer knows, honey" he com
menced, "dat disher' coP snap coined
down on us all mighty suddin, an hi,
caught de OF man an many anuddel
sinner 'dout muffin ter fend it off wild
Yes, / know I might er got some Woo
by goin' ter yer pa, but hit coined sC
suddin, honey, an hits mighty have
wuck TO- an OF man wild de roomti
an de misery in de laig, like 1 got, tel
tote wood fom way off yander. Don
we see, honey?
"Well, l wenter bed las night feel
in mighty col, an de roomitiz an de
misery day di'n't gimme no peace O
me life. At las i upt an into me
close an 1 went an open de do an
looked out. De moon an de stars dey
was a shinin' bright, and hit want
berry much colder outside den inside
an so l jes took me stick an l walked
out an took up de big road by de
grade yawd.
"Twus mighty hantin' up dar, but
de Of man want 'fraid ner muffin, an
so l drapt down on me knees, an
let out a pra'r to Cord Almighty
kase kpowed he boun' to be sum-
mers 'roun' bout dar. l prayed up
big an loud, an asst de good Lawd
to temper de win to de shawn lamb
an asst i'm to hep me to some wood
to kip VAIN by an wen I sung out
amen l felt heap better'n / did, an
so / scrambled to my feet, but jes es
rs erbout to start back down de big
road | heerd voice a sayin' 'howdy,
Uncle Ike so close dat / jump up in
de ar, an wen / turn 'roun'
l scrouch right down erg'in
fer dar-w'at we s'pose 1 seen? Oar
was de debbil-yessir, de berry OF
debbil hissetf, standin' at me elbow.
"He had peaked hat set up
atween his mwns an is OF tail, wild
its big prongs on de eend, hit hunG
ober his arm.
'Howdy, Uncle Ike he says
again, sezzee, an he glib dat tail d
firt.
"1's only jes tol'ble, SEE zy, all of a
tremble.
"Dat's wat I lowed SEE zee, an
he grinned, an showed all is long
white teef Il heerd ye d prayin' jes'
now SEE zee.
"Yes,' tremblin nightly, but
want prayin' to you all
""No| seize, an he laugh, and
frow back lis head a shown de in