The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-10-26
His Mncle Dan.


. QD
ing that they had licked the big fellows
All 10 nts I'm the marshes the other night.
anu hiated az considerable length on tho
great time they had at the canteen. whcn
he had his Uncle Dams hsalth drunk with
iull honors In 40 bottles OF ginger bees
BUT l amt spent all the money vet :"
he said with deprecatory glance az me.
but when hinted that money was
meant 10 De spent and was apt 20 burn
holes IN boys pockets II kept too long
proposition which made my own young
sters prick up their ears--and endeavored
TO draw him on the use 60 which The bal
ance was To be put, he rapidly changed
the subject, and forcborc TO worry him.
l was very curious to know II my own
surmises as TO Dams Uncle Dan were
anywhere near the mark, and when my
wife was putting the younger children 10
bed | told the others to run down to the
beach while Dan and 7 had talk
'NowDanny,my man, tell me all about
your Uncle Dan." ! began when we were
alone. Where does he live?"
He looked at me straight for the space
I OF a minute, as though debating In his
own mind whether 10 unload himself cr
not. and then said briefly:
II amt got no Uncle Dan"
IL was so exactly what ] expected that,
after all ,nat had passed. ( could not re-
frain from shout OF laughter. ~ which
he knitted his brows and blinked quickly
and ] saw that l had hurt him. l stretch
ed out my hand.
You must excuse me, old man"
4 said hut that was exactly what ! i'm
/ agined.' at which look or relief came
/ over his face. And yet YOU fought Jim
Foley because he cast doubts on Uncle
/ Dan. and YOU went In after Jim because
your Uncle Dan sent you?"
"GOSI.. said Danny. and looked unou
| me a wizard
Tell mo all about it, Danny. Perhaps
/ can help"
well. sir. II was like this" he said
! stoutly. "All the other chaps had sisters
! ard cousins and aunts and things. and T
never had nobody. and felt kind Of out.
and just made up Uncle Dan 10 be up
/ sides with EN-. An / made him just as
ia ha' liked 10 ha' had him il I'd had
| him really. Bin at Waterloo, an lost his
arm an his legs an all the rest OF IT, An
/ an" snd there was The suspicion OF "A
! shamefaced tfeak IN the clear litsle volso
IAN / tried TO do things as | thought
! he'd ha liked me to do EN-. An it done
/ me good. sir. so what's the odds?"
Danny" i said, you're n little trump.
Now, tell me one other thing What were
you saving the rest of that money for?
II We're goin' TO write myself some let
ters from Uncle DAN" he said with a
| twinkle In his eyes.
| "Well. now Danny. I'm going to make
a proposal 10 you. You've got no Uncle
an, and you want one badly, to be up
sides with the other fellows. VIII YOU
! let me be your Uncle Dan, and look after
| you a bit?'
The blue eyes sparkled like diamonds.
and filled suddenly, and his head went
(, down into his arms on the table, and ne
selshe4- -s4lsHat4Al feaF- y e-sraee of two min
| utes-an Emotion that l should imagine
4 was very foreign 10 him-and my heart
reioiced exceedingly that this happy
thought had been given 70
have never had one moments cause TO
regret my self-election to the post OF
Dams Uncle Dan, nor, think, has Daa-
ny.
We ~corresp lded with him regularly.
and Visited him frequently in barracks
/ when the regiment went home. and found
more TO like him every time we saw him.
| All that happened some years ago. Be-
/ fore me on my desk as / write lies Lett
! ter dated from Omdurman, September 3.
| ls9S:
Dear Uncle Dan (slnee he came TO
! years of understanding Dan has never
! omitted the quotation marks) We had
| a tough time. as you VIII have seen from
! the papers; but | came through all right.
! They've made me full sergeant Che was
: just turned 2l-.and LIN down FOR tho
| V. C.. But IL was nothing. My Sergeant
/ (Braden, I've told you about HIM was
alongside me i'm the charge. We came on
| one nasty bit OF ground. where we had to
| jump our horses I'm and out, and not too
| much room. and the fuzzies slashing and
shooting and bowling like Chere is u
word carefully linked over here and d"mad"
/ written in above it,. Bradens horse
| went down in n heap, and him with IL.
was next him, and ] saw ii was only tha
(another word carefully linked over and
( "dervishes'' written IN above it). came
! down on us like hail Chis word had also
undergone revsion). and began chop
/ chopping away-and / can tell you their
swords do cut. My horse was brick,
and danced round Braden till he got on
, to his feet again. Then we made a dash
! ut the blacks and hurt several OF them,
! / believe: and then the lieutenant came
| back for us with a score of the boys. and
! we came out right except for few cuts
| more or less. Everybody says II was a
| fine bit OF work, for they were 30O0 and
J we not over 800. Everybody is talking OF
Col. Macdonald, He did the hardest
! fighting OF the day. He rose from the
, ranks and LIN going TO do the same.
Love to all. Yours very gratefully.
DAN RENDLE (Sergt.,V. Co"
/ am proud to remember that | am Dan
! Rendles Uncle Dan by adoption, and
think Il likely | shall be prouder yet
lie sprang from nowhere particular, but
/ think he will go far
THE END.