The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-03-19
A BLooMlN' tllNoLlsHMAN.
Uncle Jim Wanted to Sec CountrymaI
before Ito Died.


before Ho Died.
We had with us in the Nevada silver
diggings an old man named Jim Wat
son, whom we familiarly called Uncle
Jim. lie was born Englishman, but
it was only now and then, under the
pressure of great feeling, that his
vernaculnr betrayed the fact. He was
taken 'dumpy" along in the winter,
and, although he knocked Off work and
took various sorts of medic,n ne, he con-
tinued to grow worse, and 1t was final
ly evident that Uncle Jim was going to
die. He realized the situation as fully
as anyone else and one evening when
three or four of us were in his shanty to
offer advice and sympathy, he said:
Look ere boys, hits no use. Uncle
Jim can't last but few days longer.
There's h'only one favor I've got to
h'ask."
We were about fifteen miles from the
railroad. Now and then, among the
tourists and travellers, we had seen an
Englishman fresh from the other side
of the water. Uncle Jim went on to
inform us that he had not long to live,
OllU HIS uCSlEC W do w oCC hb ANiiB
lishman-a real Englishman-again be-
fore he died. If not too much trouble
he wanted one of us to go over to the
railroad and explain the case to the first
Englishman who passed through and
bring him over to camp
We were willing to do this, but cir
cumstances saved us the trip. We had
man all ready to start off when a
party of six arrived in camp They
were doing the mines, and among them
was a representative Englishman who
had not been over more than month.
He was at once informed of the facts in
the case and he readily agreed to drop
in and see Uncle Jim. The poor old
man had failed rapidly and his eyes
had become so dim that he could no
longer see any one across the room.
We took the stranger in, told Uncle
Jim how it was, and they shook hands
Then the old man SAID:
Boys, / can't see i'm Has e got a
red face and does e wear short coat
and corduroy trousers?"
eyes"
I'm bloomin' sorry, hold man, to
find you hin this situation" said the
stranger, as he lent over Uncle Jim.
"Ah! boys, but that settles it! If e
wasn't Hinglish 'e wouldn't say bloom
in. Hits the first time I've card that
blessed word in ten long years If hit
'ad come year sooner I'd ave pulled
through this hand got we'll"
"What part of IIingland did you
,,,,o,iaI fl, CT.
"From hold Liverpool, bless your
soulr'
liverpool? 1 'ails from that very
bloomin' place myself"
"Is hit possible? Hand 'ow his
hevery thing haround h'old Liverpool?"
Just the same. "
Lord save We, but 'ow clever! Hits
bloomin' nice to ear real Hinglish-
man talk again'
We left them together for half an
hour. And when the stranger had to
go we went in to fine old UNCLE Jim
looking better than he had for a week.
Boys. hit as done me a cap OF
good" he replied to our questions. 81
was just dyin' to ear somebody say
clever hand nawsty hand bloomin',
once again. Per'aps I'll pull through
But next day he was worse, and
along towards night, when five or six
of us had gathered in his shanty, seeing
clearly that the end was at hand, he
whispered
Boys, | ears you around me, but
can't see. I was in 'opes to pull
through, but the bloomin' stranger de-
layed his bloomin' visit too longH
Half an hour later Uncle Jim was
dead and the smile on his face proved
that he died happy N. Y. World