The Tupelo journal., 1903-07-31
UNCLE JACOBS STORY
BY ANNIE HAMILTON

Uncle Jacob Knapp sat on an OLD
chest, drumming with his heels
against the battered side. He held
up to the callers view two twisted,
m%isshapen fingers.
''This shist an them fingers" he
said, "take 'em together, make quite
q yarn, as yarns 60"
''Oh, tell it, Uncle Jacob! tell 1t,
do" importuned the Visitor.
"Well, times slack, | don't mind
if / do. Mebbe you amt noticed how
sort of stoopin' over L be? Well,
that goes along with the fingers and
the chist. 'Tain't old age done that
no, sir, faint. The Knappses are
great on keeping straight as a die
till they die"
Uncle Jacob, having risen to
display the curve in his back to the
Visitor, sat down on the old chest
again.
Its a case of sins getting visited
on to the third and fourth genera
tions, as the Good Book says they
do. I'm the third generation.
Twas my grandfather done the sim
ming. He stole"
The Visitor sat forward on his
chair, intent and eager. Could I'm
Gle Jacobs grandfather have been a
bank cashier? The Visitor was not
quite sure there were bank cashiers
as long ago as Uncle Jacobs grand
father; SO, a little disappointed, he
sank back again and waited.
"Yes, he stole-doughnuts. He
wasn't only about as old as you be-
the Visitor WINGED and tried to
touch his dangling toes to the floor
-''but that warn't any excuse for
grandfather. And he was just the
hungriest boy you ever sect"
Was there anything personal in
that last clause? The Visitor decid-
ed that there was not and felt re-
lieved.
"And he specially relished great
grandmother's d~oughnuts. They
were the spicy, slippery, tasty kind o
doughnuts that don't last a minute
after you begin on 'em. The receipt
come down along with the chist, an
I've eat them very same kind O
doughnuts time and often. They
amt prudent doughnuts to make
they're too good"
Uncle Jacob made a sudden in
spired trip to the pantry, and came
back with two doughnuts. "Try
'em?" he said, Hospitality. The Wis
itor at the third bite was moved with
forgiving sympathy for Uncle
Jacobs erring grandfather.
"But | might as well commence to
the beginning" he went on. ''This
chist Pm sitting on is a hairloom in
the Potter family. 1t fell to mother
and then to me. We set a store by
the old chist, now l tell ye"
With his twisted fingers he
smoothed the time-polished lid af-
fectionately.
at was great-grandmother's we'd
ding chist, with her fnery and sheets
in it-then grandmother and moth
er's. She give it to me, not having
any daughter. It's been a terrible
grievance to Aunt Patty, not having
any daughter, neither to make quilts
and holders for, to put in the old
chist. 1t would have been a sort of
comfort"
Uncle Jacobs eyes looked out Of
the window, toward the little grassy
cemetery where the Visitor knew
vas buried a tiny baby daughter.
The Visitor stole a little nearer to
the old man.
Land of liberty" Uncle Jacob
presently continued, "there's a
sight Of stories this chist could tell
stories Of wedding clothes and bury
ing clothes. There's been three gen.
erations of little heels banged against
it, drumming tunes. There's the
dents mine madeE!"
Uncle Jacob leaned Overland point
ed out several little dents halfway
down the chests side.
"Them's mine, and them, there, is
Uncle Caleb's dents. I've always re-
membered mothers pointing them
out. And seems to me- amt Sc
suse Of that, though-that that ter
ribIe big dent is the one grandfather
made with the chisel when he stole
the doughnuts. But ! amt SO sure
II don't know but it's the other one
over there, higher to the hole