The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-09-02

! she, eZ she hugSeG Uncle Eph, an
will help you with all the spring
work. You can't do without me, kin
you? An don't let Cousin Betsy
cuff King Charles aroun' while I'm
away, fur I'm afraid he is very deli
cate. Me an Aunt kezier just
smothered her with kisses, an after
she left set down an cried, while
Uncle Eph was cross ez if he had the
/ tooth ache, an we was all eZ down
hearted eZ could be for spell.
One day Uncle Eph got to lookin'
over his papers, an | seed something
was wrong by the way he was openin'
an shuttin' the drawers.
Il can't find it, | heard him say,
an then his face lightened up ez he
turned ter Aunt Keller an sed, Wife,
/ where is that check of Judge Ander-
sons? want ter git it cashed when
! 90 to town tomorrow.
| Aunt Kezier looked up puzzled like.
! why, Ephraim, how do l know,
amt had it,
"Pshaw'' sed he, what is gettin'
wrong with your memory, kezier
Don't you mind that day went to
brother Solomon's? | Civ it ter you
| ter put away fur me, an | made you
| put it in the desk fur fear it would get
| lost. - He sed this in triumphant
way, ez if Aunt Kezier was bound at
once to fork over the check whether
| she knowed where it was or no but
Aunt Kezier only shook her head, and
| turned a little pale Ell she sed, La
| Ephraim, that was never no check,
it was the telegraph, an put it in
| this little drawer"
| lie was took back considerable, but
| didn't want ter let on, an he sed right
ca,itankerous like:
''What nonsense, wife, ter think |
was SIGH fool es ter Civ you the tele-
graph to put away std O the check.
at was the telegraph, Uncle Eph,
zier put it away"
So he looked in the drawer, an
there was the telegraph jest ez we had
sed. AN / never knowed you got Il
| check from Judge Anderson" said
Aunt kezier, you never mentioned
| it,
Yes sed he, in a crest-fallen sort
O. way, Judge Anderson cum along
an Civ me check fur the lambs he
took away the week before, an while
! he was settin' there on his horse
talkin', boy cum with the telegraph,
an I he'd both papers in my hand at
wunst."
"Then You must "a put the check
| in your pocket and Civ the telegraph
| ter Aunt Kezier," sed |.
That's jest about what l did, but
| what pants did | hev on that day p
''It must bin them gray linsey
| ones sed Aunt Kezier, a-wipen' her
specs an tryin' ter remember. You
was a-wearin' them then"
So he went into the bedroom an
tore down all of the clothes on the
pegs, huntin' fur his linsey pants, but
when he found 'em the pockets was
| full of nails, an strings, an crumbs
| of tobacker, but no check KUN there
ter light. Then he felt in all his pants
pockets, even his Sunday ones, but
! twas no use, the check he'd disap-
peared. :.
Me an Aunt kezier looked fur it
| too, high and low, but we he'd to give
it up. 1t wuz pretty hard on Uncle
Eph, eZ it was good hundred dollars
outen his pocket, an he could Ill az
ford ter lose it harvest was comm
| on, an he he'd not cent besides ter
pay the expenses.
He worried an fretted about it day
an night. One evenin', after supper,
ned it all of a suddint an said, Wife,
[ he'd on those old corduroy pants
that day. l he'd put EN- on ter save
nv other'ns, fur wuZ shearin' sheep.
| wonder where they be"
La, Ephraim, l suppose they've
been carried to the garnet" said she
He got his lantern, an him an he
went up an searched in every hole
an corner of that garnet, but no pants
was there. We cum down mighty
disappointed.
Did YOU find 'eln - said Aunt he
zier, a lookin' up, her voice all a trelnD-
lin
NO" sed Uncle Eph, ''but I'll jest
bet YOU know what's become of EN-.
You've given them away to old jim
Martin when he was here beggin'.
You alters do give him somethin' you
amt got no business ter"
'.Indeed, didn't then, said Aunt
Keller, Il only Civ him two old shirts
an pair of socks an a old coat.
can my pants,'' sed Uncle Eph.
mo, / never sed she, an L could
see she was some provoked, but she
amt one ter say much, an she was
soon lookin' ez peaceful ez ever, an
| took no more notice of Uncle Eph's
growlin'.
Howsomever. nothin' could per
suade him but that he he'd Civ, them
pants away, an every day he brung
| it Up till my patience was well nigh
| thread-bare But Aunt kezier, i'll
stead of gettin' mad, seemed TO teei
very sorry fu, him, an took more
pains than usual ter please him. This
! was KEEP up fur about two weeks.
| I ind ok
| one evenin' I happened ter think
about Lily. an then | walked aroun'
ter look at King Charles. He had
gone considerable ter rack an ruin
! si.ce seen him last, an was a leanin
| away over ter one side, ez If he he'd
! a pain somewheres.
| | went towards him, thinkin' !
would straighten him up, but ez got
rite near ter him something went all
over me like Il shock of tightening.
"Well,n sed ter myself, IF he amt
got on the corduroy pants, an don't
| | remember seeill Lily drag EN-
! through the kitchen that AFTERNOONS?
1 run my ham inter the pocket, an
| there. all safe an 'soun', was the los
check. | put it back in the pocket
an went back ter the house.
At the supper table Uncle Eph, OF
course, must say somethin' aggravatin
about the pants.
''Uncle Eph," said /, very keerless
like, but looEin' straight at him, did
you ever happen ter make Il skeer-
crow?''
He looked at me fur a minute, puz-
zled, then his face got red ez fire, an
he showed his cheer back frum the
table, without sayin' word, an
went up ter the chiken-yard.
He was gone a good while, but when
he cum i'll he he'd the check in his
hand. l never see sich a sheepish-
lookin' man in my life an there,
Aunt kezier he'd sich Il good chance
ter pay him back. she only sed, 20
! Ephraim. I'm so glad you found it.
But it done him good. Fur a whole
month he never laid nothin' .onter
Aunt KeZier.
CHE Gam TIT