Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-04-08
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Uncle Wash's Escape
BY NED HUTTON.
eeG;GeeSeGeiceesie. Ga<eeiGs'e'

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pace in the old man 3 home up in Gala
way county the conversation Ian
guished, and We dropped into IA reveric
as the logs burned down 10 glowing
Goals. A rat began gnawing in the
easement Of the mantel, and the old
man, rousing himself and reaching for
the tobacco jar, said:
"Thar's Hazel at il again"
| asked: as Hazel the rats name?"
1T shore 10, sonny" replied the old
gentleman with a chucklc, IAN the way
he comes by il is all on account OF his
liking for he<elnuts as an article ov
r
fer long time an fer to kill time I'll
Jest call him out an show you his leedle
pecooliarity with them nuts"
Uncle Wash crossed to the corner OF
the room and drew forth handful OF
hazelnuts from barrel. After select
ing an iron from a row on the shelf,
he sat down in front of the fireplace,
clasped the iron between his knees and
began cracking them with an old wagon
tongue pin, peering over his glasses at
the hole in the case ment after each nut.
When tho click Of the iron on the nuts
began, tho gnawing ceased, and pres
emily the rat appeared at the hole. His
shiny ey~s surveyed the room carefully
and finally settled on the old man.
Then he came out on the floor, and ad-
vancing 10 the old gentleman's side
climbed up his trpuser leg and sat on
his knee and waited. watching every
move OF Uncle Wash's hands with his
little. beady eyes.
Uncle Wash cracked a aCt md s,y"
the rat the kernel, vhicl' p. d.. c"..'.-
ly disposed OF, holding +~."'r -
paws while gnawing it. us c3-:''t''
for nuts seemed unlimited
BY accident | overturn~l cA;ir /
had been twirling. and Tho rat Jumped
from his perch and scampered 10 his
hole in apparent great terror.
Hazel is mighty pecooliar thata-
way" said Uncle Wash when he had
finished the nuts and was smokiH.
again. "IIe shore likes hazelnuts, an
will quit eatin' up the house any time
fer mess oy m, but fallin' chairs
makes him nervous, kinder. .Ics' the
minute what he hears mo crackin' nuts
here i'm front OF the fireplace, that air
rat'l quit the most important piece Of
gnawin' he's got on hand an come polk
in i'm here fer his sheer, but when Il
racket like that happens. the leedlc var
mcnt gifts in fidgct fer to leave an he
does it in hurry"
Il recollect once when he comes rae
in i'm here loollin' fer nuts like he did
les now, an ne run up aginst morcn
he bargained fer an raised racket
that fetched your Uncle Wash outcn
that was pinchin' him might
lily, an | reckon the rat recollects il,
too. 1t was mighty embarrisin' 10 the
rat, an TO another party who was here
present. but it shore tickles your Uncle
Wash, an that's why think so much
Ov him"
"Yaas, air," continued the old gentle
man, chuckling to himself "Yaas, sir.
that pore leedle insignificant animal
shore saves your Uncle Wash from git
tin married TO wilder woman onct
on n time, an on that account kinder
takes pains TO look out fer him now, an
sorter comfort him when he gifts
skeered at chairs or the dogs movin'
round under the house an growlin' in
their sleep.
This here wilder woman I'm goin'
10 tell you about VINE called Mis- Sile by
all the neighbors round here. Her
name / dun forgot now. cause l never
was much interested in this female no.
how, but she ulster sign it up at the store
as Mis- Silas Madden, after her husband,
an 40 everybody knowod her as Mis-
SiIe.
"She was jes' a wilder woman fer a
leedle while, when the rat averts
catastrophe an saves your Uncle Wash
a-marryin' her. She lives perty near
over on The county line, an her husband
was drowned one spring tryin' 10 cut
ice on the river when they was n thaw
goin' on. The ice dun cracked when
he was a-sawin' ov It, an Silas fell in
an was drowned. along with ice saw
that ole Bill Gaines had bought in st.
Louis an had loaned TO him. They
never found Silas, ner the ice saw,
neither. an | guess before Slas had
driftcd 10 the mouth Of the river that
Nir woman was chasin' over the county
lCokin' fer another man.
"She looks over all the avaylable fell
lers in this naik ov the woods, an IL
looks like she finally decides ter settle
down on your Uncle Wash rs fifteen
victim fer matrimony; at least knows
that after that she devotes all her at
tentions 10 that end.
''It was about the time that the Wild
der was manooverin' most an was a.
weakcnin' that | forms the acquaint-
ance Of this rat. He was kinder like
the wilder woman; he jes' drupt in, an
fndin' the surroundings congenial, ma
fully he stayed here.
~ first notices him one night when
7 was a-sittin' here like we air now, an
I was ies' passin' the time away crack
in hazelnuts when / sees him stick his
head outen the hole down thar in the
casn' an look up at me like he wanted