Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-10-25

Terror-Hls Ice DI6t-Stoien ny Gypsies.
Grape on the Door-The Return of the
Uncle and What Caused 1t.
To land in the old village after an alb
sence of many years and find myself per-
sonally interested in a small nephew with
fat legs came in the nature of a shock,
though it was the most natural thing in
the world. In vague way had heard of
this nephew. I recalled the receipt in
letter some time previous of the photo
graphic proof of a nude infant seated in n
large bowl. The inscription said the nude
infant was my nephew. This, l under
stand is the popular method of starring a
frstborn. Later on they take them in
groups. / arrived in the village bent on
long season of peaceful rest and thinking
only of this nephew in a casual way.
His mother, who was little more than
kid when l left home, received me and
for at least ten seconds utterly refrained
from saying anything about my nephew.
He had soaked overnight in the bathtub,
afterward learned, in order to properly
impress his uncle, and was still in the up
per regions of the house. Presently l
heard him falling down stairs, having re-
pudiated the nurse after getting his clothes
on, and the first view l had of him was u
bright red epiglottis from which issued
sounds that Jared me considerably.
When the overture ended, beheld with
secret pleasure a really handsome boy of
years, with soft brown eyes and hair
He wore a pink silk Fauntleroy waist,
with ruffled front and cuffs, white linen
knickerbockers creased In the latest style,
black stockings and tan shoes with pointed
toes. Taking him as he Stood my nephew
quite eclipsed what / had expected, and !
really felt proud of him. His mother,
seeing me beam upon her offspring, kissed
the child and said
Come, darling! Here is your uncle.
Won't you speak to him?''
Fixing his bold brown eyes upon me,
my nephew spoke:
Say, gimme three pennies I've got
two now, and want to buy popcorn
ball.
shuddered. Hoboes who possessed one
nickel and wanted another to round ont a
nights lodging often made similar re-
quests Of me. Had this cherub already
or is this only the ingenious habit of ex-
treme YOUTH l asked myself But l
yielded up the pennies
"What do you say for that?" his mamma
whispered
"Thank you'll"
"Thank you, what?'
"Thank you, man!'
"Oh, no! Not man That's your un-
Gle, and he's fond of little boys. Call him
Uncle Charlie, and he'll like you very
much"
Again my nephew fixed those brown
eyes upon me. A confident smile, super
induced by the three pennies, lowered
about his mouth, and little hand stole
into mine.
"Uncle Charlie" he said "open the un
Gle door for me. l want to go on the un-
Gle street and play with my uncle dog"
/ opened the door and slammed it when
the nephew had passed out to play with
his uncle dog. My sister looked embar
rassed at first. Then she laughed.
"You must excuse the little dear she
said "He is not accustomed to the word
uncle and doesn't know how to use it,"
But felt hurt to think that my nephew
classified me with doors and streets and
dogs, and for the next half hour reminis-
cences involving whooping cough, teeth,
measles and other things interested me but
little. We were sitting in the parlor, where
l could see the lower part of the front
steps from the window Presently l no
ticed puddle of water ON the concrete
walk. 1t grew larger and larger, and
finally called my sisters attention to the
phenomenon, for blistering August sun
shone clear We opened the door, and
there sat my nephew on the top step, in
the scorching heat, gnawing at what had
originally been six pound lump of ice,.
left in tho uncle street by passing wagon
My nephew's ruffled bosom was full of
sawdust, slivers and dirt; SO were his lace
cuffs. Two muddy streams of ice water
| flowed from his purple fists to his elbows,
| thence into his lap, then through the linen
| knickerbockers and down his dripping
| legs, until the rivulets joined the pool at
| the base of the steps.
"Come herel'' said my nephew s mother,
escorting him into the house by the back
| of the neck "Youre pretty sight, l
must say"
~ wasn't doing nothing, mamma, only
eating my ice, he walled.
joy the spanking. 1t Itsounded like beating
wet towel with board, but was not
very painful reckon. At the end Of an
hour my nephew was wrung out and dress
ed again, but the excitement gave his
mother headache, with touch of neu
ralgia on the side. Swathing her face in
bandages, she rested on diyan and groan-
ed dismally.
"What makes you groan SO, mammal"
asked the infant.
"Oh, I'm sick, and you made me so.
If didn't groan, I'd die. Run away and
play"
Twenty minutes later he returned. His
mother had fallen asleep, and the logical
mind of my nephew told him that his par
ent had passed away because she no longer
yroaned. So he hunted up an old black
Isl, haAs \ 81 the knas of the front door
and came back to silently weep beside the
dead.
Tragic news travels swiftly in country
town. One rumor said that the reason
never married was because / had been
crossed in love. Being thus blighted,
came home and shot myself. Another had
the boy drowned in the cistern, and still
another rumor told how my sister fell dead
at the piano while praotioing new piece
Heaven only knows what else would have
happened had not sensible neighbor seen
the Grape and called to investigate.
After that my sister said she hadn't
time to suffer with the headache. Placing
broad brimmed straw hat on the head
of my nephew, she sent him into the back
yard to play while ! sought surcease from
ts, eli ps,t MI toxx vd