The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-19

Quail ard "Madery" Went with Rolls
and CofTee-A Pathetic Incident Witness
ed In a New York Restaurant.
On poor down town street which be-
gins nowhere and ends nowhere In partic-
ular Is "a little resturaw,"
the proprietor calls 1t. Over the destinies
and tables of this unobtrusive bit of New
York presides Uncle Reuben, black-very
black-grizzled, stopped, soft OF speech,
softer of manner and deft in the art OF the
kitchen, more deft than he himself under
stands. About that time when folks up
north and folks down south were disput-
ing each others right to live Uncle Reu-
ben found New York and located.
1t came to be generally known about
town that down at Uncle Reuben's were
good things to eat-soup that bore a re-
semblance to it's own family; fish which
had flavor without greasy sauces; ducks,
brown and juicy, with strips Of sweet, salt
bacon sewed into their celery proud breasts,
and "Madery" All wines were Madery'
to Uncle Reuben. What he really served
to his best customers was red claret, but
"Madery" got into one of his brain cracks
at some time, and his "Madery, subj"
was always accepted without question and
drank with gusto.
1t was in the later years Of his LIES suo-
cess that got to know Reuben. A some
time habit of lodging the ''r" in speech,
or perhaps it was a liking for some of his
homelier dishes of southern flavor, brought
me near to Uncle Reuben, and heard
something of the Reuben Of that day when
he was "house niggah" on plantation.
Once In awhile he would hang around the
Al HaI nd fnl
about clown thah," meaning by "down
than" stretch of land somewhere south
of New York known to him and vaguely
described as yves Ten'see
In the midst of "down than" talk one
rainy night an old man came softly and
hesitatingly through the door. He looked
around, gave me, the only guest, glance
and sat down across the way. Uncle Reu-
ben hardly looked up at the entrance and
paid no heed as the waiter drawled out the
brief but tempting bill of delicacies. The
old fellow placed the napkin carefully
over one knee and listened. Then with
that high pitched but trembling tone
which comes sometimes with age, always
with want, he asked:
"Mightn't / have some coffee an rolls
without the othah articlesp was not In
! tendin to dine, an I didn't prepah ma
purse fab yo' bill av fah."
1t came slowly, hesitatingly and pain
| fully from him, and I knew instantly he
| had mistaken the place for coffee house,
and Uncle Reuben's dinner was leagues
outside his financial limit. looked across
| the table at Reuben, and he was staring
with wide, wondering eyes at the stranger.
| He heard the quavering confession, and he
| knew. Still with the wide eyes he rose and
shuffled over, waving the waiter away.
ave hes coffee an rolls onct In awhile,
sub. Eff yo' kin wait mint, III sarve
'em, subj"
| That was o good lie. Old Reuben
shuflled of through the kitchen door while
the stranger nervously ran his fingers
through his thin white hair and waited.
Back came Reuben with a steaming dish
of soup, and as he put it down he watched
the guest with the same wide, wondering
eyes.
IL didn't ask fab soup, just the coffee
am
"Allus gives 1t wiz coffee an rolls
byah, sub. Hep yo'sef." In the words
were almost caress. There was one IN
the leaning over the chair and the arrang-
ing of the cloth and service. Uncle Reuben
had served green turtle dream, and as the
old gentleman ato tHo uuIhy stoou pShi's
him In q pose Of reverence. The peculiar
look, half question, half wonder, never left
| uncle's face. Not slowly the succulent tide
vent down in the soup dish, and again
Uncle Reuben shuffled kitchenward. This
time It was the fish, steaming and odor-
Gus, the perfected idea Of 20 years expert
ment. The green turtle might have gone
with tho coffee and rolls, but never that
fish. Reuben second lie to head OIL an
evident protest was:
"Celebratin ma buthday, yo' see, sub.
Havin kind NV festible round hyar t'night
(putting down the fish,. All ma ole time
geInman friends .drapped In tub see me,
an I'm treatin 'em well, yo' know, thinkin
maybe they won fahgit me when they
want bite III JUS split i'm down thu
back an take out thu big bones. Mighty
sweetenin Is them white sides of the belly,
subj" dara Iul Ui'sIM l3 H1 pa wa4 .
The fish followed the soup. Before II
was finished Reuben had slipped away and
into the mysterious and prolific rear room
Back again Ia amoment he came, busting
q bottle with the corner Of his apron--sh'
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