The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-04-07
A VISIT TO UNCLE ED.

Washington stat 'lts uttetesuns
to have = precoNceived notion
smashed once in q while. hut
then. / don't like to htve ,he job
done too N%ioleutly.r remarked an OH
cial of the government who returned
recently from his deferred vacation.
We IRE al liable to ruli into things
that amaze us when We break aMty
from our own nresides and get out of
our own little ruts. but
Well. ANYHOW, / went out /" Miseon-
sin to visit my little old mother a few
Weeks ago, and on the day When |
WAS scheduled To start paoA< This May
she goi me into Il corner and told me
about one of her brothers whom she
wanted me To visit OH my WAY back 10
Washington.
II had never seen this uncle of mine.
nor had | even heard Very much OF
him. except that he was rather u Wild
and reckless lot when he was growing
up. and hat he had departed from be-
meath the Intel of the family wickieup
under u bit of a cloud. owing TO some
boyish deNiltry, several years before
lie had attained his majority.
Ed never WAS 4 bad boy was the
way my good mother put it To me, and
he was always so fond OF me. too. I'd
be Very glad it you'd stop of ard see
him. just for my sake. He's in II roll
ing mill. or something. in PennsNl-
wanna. Homestead is the name of the
place. | suppose the poor boy has
tcilcd his lite away all these years. You
ncedn't spend more than half u 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 family for half Il day $ visit
for my sake. can't EOE'
We'll. Homestead. I'a.-t.iats the
place where they had the great strike
and the riots, and all that, about iii
teen years ago. youth recall-wasn't
very muci off my route or my return
trip. ald SO l promised my mother that
Id fan off there and have Il peek at
Uncle Ed and his layout.
II arrived in Homestead about 9
o'clock on Il Thursday morning. Il cots-
pie of weei5s ago. didn't suppose
there'd be any use in asking anybody
where Ed Jor.. inS-rhc latter part of
which isn't exactly his ame-lived and
so | hunted up a Homestead directory.
The only ED Jorkins in the direc-
tory had his name registered in the
book IN big. heavy faced type. and SO.
naturally enough. I thought there must
be some mistake.
But no. 1t read. Edward Jorkins.
superintendent So-and-So's rolling
mills. residence Such-and-Such terrace
tiiiu, moi q tlLtle puzzled over ii!t DIX
type, / started for the residence on the
terrace
Say. when [ found ii it wasn't u
house ut all-it was Il chateau. with cor
nices and gables and minalets and
spires and dinly furbeioWs an over it
and had three OF -four acres of splendid
grounds around it.
Said / TO myself, This Uncle Ed of
mine can't he living here. Probably
he's eking out his pay as a rolling mill
hand by doing the gardening, or some
thing of that sort. for the prorietor of
this mauSion.' But | traipsed up the
gravel walk leading to the swell main
entrance to the chateau to find out.
"A fine looking man of fifty OF some
thing like that. with n clearcut
tenance and srayiSh sid whiskers. was
standing on the porch smoking a cigar
and fooling with Il thoroughbred collie
dog.
lis there any man around here L
asked him, by the lame OF Ed Jorl.-
ms
".wsll.' said IN. smiling. L believe
I'm the only man in this section who
packs that name around
"A franc-and-a-half is nothing To
what l felt just at that moment. coa-
trived to Introduce myself to my Uncle.
however. and he gave me u cordial
Sreeling-thc greeting of a we'll bred
man-and began to ask me AL about
| everybody. especially about my mother,
t mis- lavorite sister, as lie was quick IL
say.
/ He'd never had time. he old me &c
| go back and dig up the old folks, but ht
was perpetually vowins TO do it. ali the
t same. he added.
Then his three daughters. as pretty
u trio of cousins as amy fellow Woulr
I want to claim, made tHelr appearance
and for general finish aud eleverness
let alone t!leir grand looks, they Ger
11inlV Nprp 81 summers. Their mothers 2D
peared, too. after Il hit. and furnished
$ an interesting study of y refined woman
OF middle :ige.
TO me it was all . trance. for "A fact
o They wouldn't believe me When | tnit
them that Id had breakfast down town
but they carried mo off to the break
d fast room. if you please, and had place.
before me some specimens of break
fast cookery that only increased the in
@ 1ensity of my daze. Positively the,
d made SO much of me. and We're all 81
e genuinel: fine and lavish in their spiri
: Of hospitality. that | barely knew wha
o to do with my hands and feet.
It Along toward noon my Uncle Ned
y whom ! had expected TO find ut a roll
ing mill. With a red tlanncl shirt OF
his back. a short clay pipe i'll his lnoutl
and Il big dinner bucket constantly un
der his eve. apoloEiZci and said he,
1t have to run down TO the works for
II bit. He was dressed like h. toresidcn
~ VI Il ilsitiolldi ptllA tiNli it oth Z
II INC he was only gone about tire
J. hours.
o When he returned he said that ii
% was through for the day. While h
le was gone my girl cousins took me owe
e the house. 1t was Il swell house. an,
no mistake.-twenty-tivc rooms in il
* olive room, white and gold room, an,
ii all that sort # thing: swimming poo
swell library. billiard room, %gy1nnasi
at UNI. smoking roon-the whole thing.
= The girls played and sang for m
. in English, French. Italian and Ger
y man. and their mother, q woman q
= Welsh descent, played nobly on til
af harp.
tv All dinner that evening n butler an
a second man if you please. say to
If that we We're fed all right. and. on III
NJ little ray. ] don't often get such Wine
90 and cigars as this Arabian Nights I'm
or Gle of mine set before ple when tn
ts mother and girls left us to ourselve:
ut 1t was about as queer a sell, so I