The Winslow mail., 1901-01-31

AAOSS RNOPAC NOuAO AlIIlC VI @
grand vizier. The prospect of having
| one come back with chests of lustrous
oriental pearls and rubies big as
pigeons eggs, to say nothing of gold
mohurs and sequins, was, to say the
least of it, alluring
One night grizzled, red-faced old
man of a seafaring appearance
knocked at Hackbay's door and asked
to see him. The servant was a little
doubtful about admitting him even tc
the vestibule, for he had a wicked
leering eye and breath that was red
olent of rum. So she told him to wait
| and then closed the door while she
went in and tod Hackbay. The Saw
yer's and Megginses were there that
night. Hackbay excused himself and
| went out and asked the man what be
| wanted.
why, | dunno as I want anythin
in particular" said this person. "My
name is Jonas Hackbay, an carlate
yeou're a nephew O. mine. L"
He didn't get any further, for Hack
bay seized his horny palm in an en-
thusiastic grasp and calculating
Uncle Jonas!" in accents of delight
| dragged his relative inside and shout
ed for his wife as he Hospitality helped
him to remove his rough pilot jacket
Then they took him into the parlor
and enthroned him in the easiest chair
and Hackbay brought out his best
cigars, one of which Uncle Jonas
crumpled up in his hands and stuffed
into black stub of clay pipe.
Shortly after that the Megginses left,
Mrs. Meggins being rather a squeam-
ish and pernicketty kind of woman
but the Sawyers stayed for nearly an
hour. They said that Uncle Jonai
made himself pretty much at home,
biting off chew of tobacco from a
dark and sinister looking plug after
he had finished his pipe and then ex-
pectorating on the gas log. Also that
he demanded rum, with the explana-
tion that his "inwards was out O. kel-
ter" and that under the influence OF
the rum he used the most awful lam
guage you ever heard concerning
Hosea and Lemuel Hackbay. The in
ference was that the dialect was not
the whole of the awfulness. The
vizier said that he had visited awhile
with Hosea, also with Lemuel, since
his return a month before, and that
he knew what he was talking about.
Then the Sawyers left.
Hackbay made a sort of apology to
Sawyer when he saw him in town the
next day. He said that Uncle Jonas
was of that virile New England type
that has been so great factor in max
ing our country what it is. No mere
tricious polish about it, but the real
sterling downright stuff. "And think,
myself" said Hackbay, "that Hosea and
Lemuel are-well, I don't care to say
anything about my own people, but
you will find skates in every family"
"Oh, that's all right" said Sawyer.
"It didn't feaze me. Has your uncle
retired from the diplomatic service?"
81 guess he has," said Hackbay. HE
and the nawab had difference of
opinion over the imposition of a new
tax on jezails and chotas harries and
Uncle Jonas resigned think the old
gentleman has feathered his nest pret-
ty well, however. He says he's going
to stay with us for awhile, and I'm ex-
pecting him in now almost any minute.
He wants to see something of the town.
It turned out afterward that Uncle
Jonas had certain ideas about seeing
something of the town that Hackbay
said were oriental. He told his wife
that the vizier was probably surfeited
with architectural glories in the east,
for the public library did not appeal to
him in the least. 81 suppose that after
the Tai Mahal and that sort of thing
it did look a little dingy and plain
to him." Hackbay continued, shut I
am no wholesale mercantile house en-
| tertainer, and I'm hanged if the old
sinner won't have to excuse me-"
Accordingly Uncle Jonas went by
himself and was brought home in an
appalling condition by the hackman. A
day or two later Uncle Jonas chest ar
rived. 1t was brass-bound fiat af-
fair, not very large, and the Hack
bays guessed that it contained jewels.
They were the more inclined to this
opinion from the fact that the ex-
statesman seemed short of ready money
and borrowed freely from his nephew.
Hackbay was on his part perfectly will
| ing to lend.
The people who went up to the house
said that Hackbay seemed worried.
The old man appeared to have settled
himself in the house permanently and
passed his evenings drinking his eter-
nal rum, smoking his foul pipe and
abusing his relatives. Strange to say,
Hackbay seemed to agree with him
perfectly in his estimate of the charac-
ter of his once loved connections. Once
in the presence of Meggins he laughed
at some sighting remarks about New
Bedford But there was no doubt that
he did look worried
1t came to an end with a letter Hack
bay received one morning from Cousin
Hosea.
81 hear that Uncle Jonas is with
you," said the letter. 81 hope you are
enjoying him. He is a sweet-scented
old fraud if ever there was one. Dc
you know that rum-soaked reprobate
has never been anything else than fore
mast hand and mate of coffee schoon-
er between Singapore and Madras? Hi
Stukely-you remember Hi-told me
all about him. He sailed with him one
voyage. | fired him before [ found
that out and he went over to Lemuel
Lem thought that Uncle Jonas had {
trunk full of diamonds, and I dOn't
mind owning that 1 did at first. but
wouldn't have him around if he had