Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-12-24
him his room, and grandpa said to Uncle

would hardly guess you tt be six years
older than l."
No, Hiram, they wouldn't. One thing
I'm a good deal feshier N you. I'm kind
o. s'prised to G you SO kind O all skin
and hone"
Come, now, I amt quite that, Joel
I weigh 1897
us that all; why, Hi, I weigh lis
and"
Come, Unclo Joel, / want to show you
some OF the family portraits in the par
lor. SAID Madge. noting grandpa's rising
color. This left Uncle Harvey and grand.
pa together.
joel ana Henry were always unneces-
sarily blunt in their Speech said grand
pa.
Yes, but they gen'ally hit the nail on
the head" slid Uncle Harvey. you do
look as if the wind would blow you away.
Hiram. and l notice you've IL kind of limp
in your gait"
I've nothing of the sort, Harvey My
Ter, and l amt more than two-thirds as
bald as you are and not half so gray"
"Oh. VOL ain't; I'll count gray hairs with
YOU II time, and Ill bet YOU u jews
harp that-'
Come, Uncle Harvey" l said. 'let us
go 10 the stable. want you to give me
your opinion of Il horse I've just bought"
lhe combined efforts of Madge and Nell
and i sutficed to maintain peace at the
Inner b We kept up such Il rattling
fire of conversation that the four broth
ers had hardly n chance to speak to each
other. We saw grandpa vince when I'm
Gle Henry ate his mashed potatoes with
his knife. and we knew the full extent of
our grandsire's agony when Uncle Joel
poured his coffee into his saucer and blew
1t before drinking it. Uncle Harvey spoke
but once, but that was once too often, for
he said. explosively:
oh. i say. boys, do you remember that
Sary Jane Skimmerhorn Hi used to be
SO sweet ON when VIC all went to the Hop
vine school! You member how he used
to kiss 'er there at the end of the lane?
Well. she's livin' yit, an I'd give a deal
to see Hi kiss 'er now. She weighs 800
pounds and has IL beard that Tom here
might be proud of, an she's had fifteen
children an they're all livin'. l was jest
thinkin' what if Hi had married 'er as he
used to swear he would! Eth, Hi?"
Uncle Henry and Joel roared with
laughter and Joel choked on a mouthful
of coffee. Grandpa turned pale and it re-
quired all of Nell's cleverness to prevent
Il scene.
All of the cousins and uncles and aunts
in the city had been invited to come IN
that evening to enjoy IL Christmas eve
reunion of the family and to be entertain
cd with family "reminiscences by the four
old and reunited brothers. AT 8 o'clocA
we gathered around Il great open fire to
hear our aged relatives '.rcminis,' as
Madge mischievously put it.
"Icll us all about when you were boys
together" said Cousin Ned Drayton. ~
guess there wasn't much time nor money
wasted celebrating Christmas when you
were boys
We'll. i guess there want" said Uncle
Joel. II guess-O, say, boys, do you re-
member that Christmas we four boys
went bear hunting back there in the
Maine woods when we want none of us
fully grown:'
II remember it as well as if it was yes
terday.' said Uncle Henry. II rcmeln-
her jist how that bar suuealed when l
shot i'm"
You still stick to it that you shot i'm,
Henry" said Uncle Joel. 'an' l am as
sure as I'm livin' that it was my shot that
fetched i'm
I'm n horn it was!' said Uncle Henry,
testify. "Your bullet went clar over the
bar and lodged in that big pine we found
with ii bullet hole in it,
"There's no Use in Henry an Joel spat-
tin so about which killed that bar" put
i'll Uncle Harvey, ''for I've an idee the
beast would have got up am walked off
with both your bullets. 1t was my knife
thrust that finished the BEAST
"Ics. it was!!' snecre4l Joel. "Oh. YES:
to he sure it was" snorted Uncle Henry.
II guess that the blows l rlincd down
on the beasts head with the club l car
ricd, had something to do with finishing
him" said grandpa, calmly.
"Wcll, We amt got over DRAWN on your
imagination for facts, hev We, HIP" said
Uncle Henry. .'The rest of us kin re-
member how We hid in the bresh tremblin'
an bellerin' until we was almost ready
to skin the bear an then you come out
with your little club and give the beast a
whack or two"
Henry Myler;; that is not true!"
"lf it amt III cat my hat!'
II dubbed the life out of him." said
grandpa.
II tell We l killed that bear myself!"
I'VE didn't"
II know l did,"
MY club counted for more than"
Your club! Pooh!!'
"Now. Henry. 1 won't stand it to-"
I'D like to see ye help YOURSELF
"Shet up. all of ye. for l."
Don't We tell me to slet up"
The dispute waXed hot and hotter UNI
til Madge got Uncle Henry off to his room.
and Nell had done the same service for
Uncle Harvey, while l dragged Uncle Joel
away for Il smoke with me in my own
room, where he berated his brothers fear
fully. Grandpa stalked off to his own
room.
We managed to keep the four old hot
heads from getting into a row ON Christ
mas. but Uncle Henry and grandpa did