The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-15
CHAPTER Nj.
HOW UNCLE PETER BINES ONCE GU
LOOSE

HOW UNCLE PETER BINES ONCE CUT
LOOSE.
AS the train moved on after leaving Cop
len. Percival fell TO thinking of the type
of man his father had been.
Uncle Peter" he said, suddenly. they
don't all cut loose, do they? Now you never
did?''
Yes, did, son. 1 yanked away from all
the hitchin' straps of decency when 1 first
struck it. jest like all the rest of em. Oh.
was an Indian in my time-a reg'ler measly
hop-pickin' Siwash at that.
You don't know. of course, what Twin
out in the open on bacon and beans does fur
healthy mans cravins. He gets so he has
visions day and night of high livin'-nice
broiled steaks with plenty of fat on EN-
and specially cake and preserves and pies
like mother used TO make-fat, juicy mince
pie, that would assay at least $500 a ton in
rasins alone, say nothing of bases metals.
He sees the crimp around the edges made
with fork, and the picture of
leaf pricked in the middle to
to s smen EN- When there puf ne smo gf1s
not out or the oven. And frosted cake, the
layer kind-about five layers, with stratas
OF jelly, and custard, and figs, and raisins,
and whatever it might be. 1 saw 'em fur
years. with big cuttin' out to show the
cross section.
But man that has to work by the day
FUR enough to take him through the pros
pectin' season can't blow any of his dust
on frivolous things like pie. The hard
workin' plain food is the kind he has to
tote, and never heard of pie bein' in any
bodys grubstake either.
We'll, fur two or three years at time
the nearest I'd ever get to them daintes
would be a piece Of sour dough bread baked
on a stovelid But whenever I was in the
big camps I'd always go look into the bake
shop windows and just gloat-'rubber' they
Vail it now days. My! but they would be
teed that kind of heaven, some of them
times, I'd a become the hottest kind of q
Christian zealot, I'll tell you that. That
spell of gloatin' was what l always looked
forward to when 1 was lynn out nights.
We'll, the time before L made the strike,
QUILTED in Grand Bar. The bake joint
there was Jest mortal aggravation. Sakesi
but 1t did torment a body SO. 1t was KEEP
by Chink, and the star play in the win
dow was kind of two-story cake with
frostin all over the place-on top and down
the sides. and on. the bottom fur all knew,
it looked that rich. And 1t had cocoanut
mixed in with il. Say, now, that concrete
looked mt to pave. the streets of the New
Jerusalem wfth-and hunk was cut out,
shown cross section of rich yellow cake
and a fruity-lookin' film that jest made a
man want TO give UP.
I'd stop in front OF that window and jest
naturally hone fur a slice Of that vision.
The Chink was standin' in the door the first
day.
" Six dolls,' he says. kind of entiein' me.
He might as well "a said six thousand.
shook my head.
Next day 1 was there again, yearnin'
The Chink see me and come out.
One doll II piece he says.
Il says, No, you slant-eyed heathen,' or
some such name as that. But when you're
looking fur tests of character son. don't let
10 r1la hat
fur the heftiest moral courage I've ever
showed. anyway.
THE third day 1t was gone and a lemon
pie was there, all with nice kind Of brown
ish snow on top. was on my way out then.
pushin' the mule. / took one lingerin last
look and felt proud of myself when / saw
the hump in the pack made by my bag OF
beans.
'That-like fhmmery foods no kind OF
diet TO be trackin pay rock on, says to
kind of cheer myself.
-Four weeks later / struck Ii. And six
weeks after that had things in shape so't
/ was able TO leave. was nearer TO other
places twas bigger, but | made fur Grand
Bar, lettin ont l wanted to see about a
| claim there. I'd "a felt foolish to have any
| one know jest why 1 was maxim the trip.
ION the way l got TO havin' Nightmares
| fear that Chink would be gone. / knew il
| he was I'd go down TO my grave with some
| thing comm to me because I'd never found
| jest that identical cake I'd been famishin
| fur.
| can believe il or not but that Chink was
| jest settin' down another like ii. Now you
know how that Monte Cr-sto carried or
after he'd proved up. Well, / got into his
, class, all right. / walked in past a counter
| where the Chink had crullers and ginger.
| bread and a lot of lowgrade stuff like that
and / set down to little table with this
| here marble oilcloth on it.
Bring her back / says, kind Of tremb
! lin and pointin to the window.
The Chink battered up and come bach
| with a little slab of 1t on tin plate. 1 jes
| let 1t set there.
Bring it ALL says; L want the hui
| ball of wax.
| six doll's,' he says, kind of cautious.
| 81 pulled out my buckskin pouch. 'Brins
| her back and take 1t out of that L says
| when / get through / says.
He grinned and hurried back with 1t.
| "Well, son. nothing had ever tasted 81
| good to me, and 1 amt sayn' that wan
| the biggest worth of all my money! l eve
| got. I'd been trainin' fur that cake flu
! twenty odd year, and proddin' my magma
| ton up fur the last ten weeks.
| II ct that ALL and l ct another one will
! jelly, and a bunch of little round ones will
| frostin and raisins, and a bottle of branded
| peaches and about a dozen cream puffs
| and half lemon pie with frostin on top
and four or five Charlotte PUSHES The Chinl
| had learned to make 'em all in Frisco.
| THAT meal set me back s3475 When
| went out / noticed the plain sponge cakes
| and fruit cakes and dried-appe pies-thing