The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1893-11-10
UNCLE DAVIS SCHEME.
Why He Didn't Get the Hoped-For
Reward

day failed TO win a quarter of dollar
from the newcomers at the Sugar
Springs summer hotel. and he feared
he would 90 home that night without
having earned the price OF the tobacco
Tor his after-supper smoke. To bc sure,
the hotel proprietor had offered him a
dollar for moving the hotel lawn, and
with ordinary industry il could be
moved IN less than day, but Uncle
Davy accounted il a direct loss to earn
a dollar by the sweat of his black brow
when quarters could be earned by a
few adrOit compliments 50 the NOW
ing of the lawn had dragged for a
week. and bid fair 10 become like the
task of Sisyphus. So slowly did Uncle
Davy work that the grass verify grew
under his feet, and although he had
completely moved the lawn once, the
grass had grown as fast a. he moved,
and he could not call the hotel proprie-
tor 10 view completed task and pay
him dollar.
''Nebber see sech a stingy set in my
born'd days as desc bo'ders AT de ho-
tel" muttered Uncle Davy 10 himself
''Dey won't even give me one o dem
'two-for-a-nicl1el' sega-es dcy smokes
for reckon dcy i too stingy 10 smoke
muffin mo- costly All, good evenin',
young marsa." he continued in "A chcery
tone. bowling and scraping to a smart
ly-dressed young fellow passing 10y.
'.Is you on a beautiful walk, : even
IMP
''No: / am on a board walk, Uncle
Davy," replied the young fellow, with
difficulty denying himself the indul-
gence of a smile at his own witticism-
GLORY, yous ~ witty blue jay,
young marsa, an jcs' as peart an wears
a. fine cloes. l knew you was ladies'
man de minnit ! see you-all dressed
up so fine, an wallsin' so graceful. like
you dance mon you walk. ! jcs' done
did do it, 'pon my soul Wizard you
say you come from? Up norf, you
say?~
Michigan"
Good glory, How's il seem to be
down whar yon kin keep warm?"
I'VE keep just as warm as You do"
Il reckon you all wear sheepslxins;
dey would keep you all warm What
town do you live in?''
Ann Arbor."
For de Ian's sake! is dat so, young
marsa? Is dat so? Befo' de wa use
to live at Culpepper Cot House, Virgin
fo'd. an remember dat de Caringfo'd
boys went 70 Ann Arbor, Michigan. TO
school Did you know de Caringfo'd
boys? Co'se not; you's too young for
dat
Here Is a quarter for you, Uncle
Davy," said the young man, loftily.
They tell me at the hotel that when
you stop the guests and compliment
them You expect to be rewarded with d
quarter" -
cord bress you, young marsa," said
the old man Much obliged for de
quarter Dem bo'ders at de hotel Is
wrong about my eXpectin' quarter,
when | talks to 'em. / hopes for
quarter, young marsa, but ! doan' eX-
pee muffin from secb a lot of stingy
bo'ders as dey is at de hotel dis sum
mer"
DO you see that old old man across
the lawn there, Uncle Davy, going
down to the spring with two water
bottles? Do you ever get money from
him?"
Dat poor ole man? Hes too poor.
He amt got muffin TO give me"
.'He Is the richest man about here
He is that rich Mr.. Bondell who has
just bought that fine cottage at the
other end of the grounds. He lives in
St Louis, and two years ago gave five
thousand dollars to a young man who
rescued him from being run over by
runaway team"
Goodness! an amt hardly been
speallin' to dat ole gentleman. /
thought ne was some poor ole groun'-
hog that never seen quarter. | wish
a team of hosses would come runnin' in
heah now after dat ole gentleman I'd
biff 'em on de hade wifi de lawn-mower
l wish he'd slip down on de part to de
spring an ben his neck so he'd think
he was goin' to choke TO death, an I'd
run up an twis' il straight again. I'm
goin' TO save dat ole gen'leman's life
somehow an git five thousan' dollars.
Laws-a-massy. he mus be one o dem
milliondaires- How much is five thou
san dollars, young marsa? reckon it
wound buy all Sugar Springs an
hunk o. Sedalia-'
With the golden possibility of five
thousand dollars before him. Uncle
Davy could work no more that after
noon, and he put the lawn-mower in
its place and followed Mr.. Bondeu TO
the spring. in the hope that some OPP
portunity of saving the old mans life
might aTlSt- 1buL NADuHn loT udA
thereafter Davy followed Mr.. Bondell
like a black shadow wherever he went,
the infirm old man never was in any
strait that called for the Intervention
of his self-constituted guardian. At
last Davy came to the conclusion that,
if Mr.. Bondell was to be in peril and in
need of succor. he himself must be the
author of the peril as well as the bear
..fl l.. . a in,
his mind several schemes of various de-
grees of feasibility. He might have Mr..
Bondell attacked by a fictitious noe
lurnal highway man and, suddenly ap-
pearing, boldly put the highwayman
to fight, but as the only person he
could trust sufficiently To employ as the
fictitious highwayman was his grand
son Tobias, aged fifteen, and, more
over, Mr.. BondeIl never stirred out of
doors after nightfall, he rejected the
plan. At length his brain conceived a
scheme that seemed absolutely fault
less, and he at once proceeded to put il
into execution
A few miles from the village was a
small, rocky hill. among the crevices of
whose outcropping ledges lived col
ony of rattlesnalSes- Several of the
boys of the neigh borhood had achieved
regulations for their skill in entrappine
the deadly reptiles, and drove quite a
thriving trade with the zoologicallv
inclined summer visitors DAVIS
grandson Tobias was perhaps the most
successful snal1e-hunter of them all
and had been known To receive as rnucb
as two dollars foran exceptionally large
snake Davy had observed that il was
the custom of Mr.. Bondell to spend n
portion OF every afternoon under the
shade OF some trees that grew unon n
great cliff overhalging the La Mine
river. Every afternoon. about the