Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-31
i VISIT TO UNCLE ED


sTts Interesting to have preconceiveti
notion smashed once in while, but, then.
don't like to have the job done too vio-
lently," remarked an official OF the governs
ment who returned recently from his de-
ferred vacation. I'VE are all liable to run
into things that amaze US when we break
away from our own flresides and get out
of our own little ruts, but
well, anyhow, went out to Wisconsin
to visit my little old mother a few weeks
ago. and on the day when was scheduled
to start back this way she got me into II
corner and told me about one Of her BROTH
ers whom she wanted me to visit on my
way back to Washington
Il had never seen this uncle of mine,
nor had i even heard very much of him,
except that he was rather wild and
reckless lot when he was growing up, and
that he had departed from beneath the lin
tel Of the family wickieup under a bit of q
cloud, owing to some bOyish deviltry, sew
eral years before he had attained his ma
joyity.
Ed. never was a bad boy was the way
my good mother put 1t to me, and he was
always so fond of me, too. I'd be very
glad if you'd stop of and see him, just for
my sake He's in rolling mill, or some
thing, in Pennsylvania. Homestead is the
name of the place. suppose the poor boy
has toiled his life away all these years
You needn't spend more than half day
with him and his family, but l wish YOU
would do that, so that you can write me all
about him when you arrive in washington
You can put up with poor Ed. and his FAM
lily for half days visit for my sake, can't
you?
well, Homestead, Pa.-that's the place
where they had the great strike and the
riots. and all that, about fifteen years
ago. you'll recall-wasn't very much off
my route on my return trip and so /
promised my mother that I'd fall off there
and have a peek at Uncle Ed. and his lay
out.
II arrived in Homestead about 8 o'clock
on a Thursday morning, a couple of weeks
ago. l didn't suppose there'd be any use
in asking anybody where Ed. Jorkins-the
latter part of which isn't exactly his name
lived, and so 1 hunted up Homestead
directory
1.-The only Ed. Jorkins in the directory
had his name registered in the book in big,
heavy-faced type. and so, naturally enough,
thought there must be some mistake.
But no. 1t read, Edward Jorkins SUI
perintendent So-and-Sos rolling mills, resi-
dent Such-and-Such terrace, and, not lit
tie puzzled over that big type, l started
for the residence on the terrace.
Say, when l found it it wasn't house
at all-it was a chateau. with cornices and
gables and mnarets and spires and dinky
furbelowS all over it, and it had three or
four acres of splendid grounds around it.
oalQ TO myself, lnlS OHCle Cu "a
mine can't be living here Probably he's
eking out his pay as rolling mill hand
by doing the gardening, something of
that sort. for the proprietor of this man
SION But 1 traipsed UP the gravel walk
leading to the swell main entrance to the
chateau to find out.
"A fine-looking man of fifty or something
like that, with clearcut countenance and
grayish side whiskers, was standing on the
porch smoking a cigar and fooling with
thoroughbred collie dog.
" Is there any man around here I asked
him. by the name of Ed. Jorkins?'
well said he, smiling, believe I'm
the only man in this section who packs
that name around
"a franc-and-a-half is nothing to what
1 felt just at that moment. 1 contrived to
myself to my uncle, however,
and he gave a cordial greeting-the
ask me all about everybody, especially
about my mother, his favorite sister, as he
was quick to say.
He'd never had time, he told me, to go
back and dig UP the old folks, but he was
perpetually vowing to do it, all the same,
he added
Then his three daughters. as pretty a
trio of cousins as any fellow would want to
claim, made their appearance, and for gen.
eral finish and cleverness, let alone their
good looks, they certainly were summers.
Their mother appeared, too. after Bit and
furnished an interesting study of a refined
woman OF mlQQfe age.
ITO me it was all trance, for a fact
They wouldn't believe me when l told them
that I'd had breakfast down town, but
they carried me off to the breakfast room,
if you please, and had placed before me
some specimens of breakfast cookery that
only increased the intensity of my daze.
Positively, they made SO much of me, and
were all so genuinely fine and lavish in
their spirit of hospitality, that I barely
knew what to do with my hands and feet
Along toward noon my Uncle Ned whom
had expected to find at a rolling mill,
with red flannel shirt on his back short
clay pipe in his mouth and a big dinner
bucket constantly under his eye, apologized
and said he'd have to run down to the
works for bit. He was dressed like the
president of a national bank when he
started. and he was only gone about three
hours.
when he returned he said that he was
through for the day. While he was gone
my girl cousins took me over the house IT
was swell house. and no mistake-twenty-
five rooms in it, olive room white and
gold room, and all that sort of thing:
swimming pool, swell library, billiard room,
gymnasium. smoking room-the whole
thing.
1.-The girls played and sang for me in
English, French, italian and German and
their mother woman of Welsh descent.
played nobly on the harp.
AT dinner that evening butler and a
second man. If you please, saw to it that
We were fed all right, and, on my little
pay, L don't often get such wines and ci-
gars as this Arabian Nights uncle of
mine set before me when the mother and
girls left US to ourselves. After the
nights sleep 1 had in the rom they gave
me I've been more or less dissatisfied
with my Washington boarding house
sleeping outfit ever since got back here.
1t was about as queer sell, so to
speak, the whole job, as ever 1 met up
with. The next day my uncle took me
over the works. All hands-there were
several thousands of them-among the
employees practically dotted their bonnets
and knuckled their foreheads to him. and
got different notion of what the word
superintendent meant After 1 got on
the train to come on to Washington I
fell into talk with the conductor. and inst
out of curiosity 1 asked him:
What is the average salary of the
superintendents of these mills around
here?