The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-04-06
A VISIT TO UNCLE Ed.

70 have n ~preconceived notioN
smashed once in a While, but,
then, | don't like to have the JOB
done too violently remarked an ON
cial of the government who returned
recently from his deferred vacation.
1--WE are all liable TO run into Things
that amaze us when we break away
from our own firesides and set out OIL
our own little ruts, but-
well. anyhow, I went out to Wiscon-
sin to visit my little old mother a lew
weeks ago, and on the day when |
was scheduled to start back this way
she Sot me into u corner and toid me
about one OF her brothers whom she
wanted me TO visit Oh my way back to
Washington.
Il had never seen this uncle of mine,
nor had | even heard Very much Of
him., except that he was rather Il WIG
( ana reckless lot when he was growing
up, and that he had departed from be-
meath the intel of the family wickieup
| under Il bit of a cloud, owing TO some
boyish deViltry, several years before
he had attained his majority.
ED never was Il bad boy was the
way my good mother put it to me, and
he was always so fond of me, too. Ia
be very glad if you'd stop Off. and see
him, just for my sake He's in ftfoll-
Ing mill, OF something, iii PeTIisyi-
vania. Homestead is the name of the
place. l suppose the poor boy has
toiled his life away all these years. You
needn't spend more than half II day
with him and his family, but / 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 a day S visit
for my sake, can't YOU?
Well, Homestead, Pa.-tliat's the
place where they lad the great strike
and the riots, and all that, about fiji
teen years ago., you'll recall-wasn't
very much off my route on my return
trip, II so l promised my mother that
I'd fall off there and have a peek at
Uncle Ed and his layout.
It arrived in Homestead about 9
o'clock on 2 Thursday morning, a cou-
pie of weeks ago. / didn't suppose
there'd be any use in asking anybody
where Ed Jorl:ins-the latter part Of
which isn't exactly his name-lived, and
so l hunted up Il Homestead directory.
The only id Jorkins in the direc-
tory had his name registered in the
book in big, heavy faced type. n So,
naturally enough, l thought there must
be some mistake.
But no.. 1t read, Edward Jorkins,
superintendent So-and-So's rolling
IlliIiS, ItSlucllce oucll-dilu-Sucn terrace,
and, not a little puzzled over the big
type, l started for the residence on the
terrace
Say, when I found it it wasn't a
house at all-it was a chateau, with cor
nices and gables and nainarets and
spires and dinky furheloWs all over it
and had three or four acres of splendid
grounds around it.
Said l to myself, This Uncle Ed of
mine ant be living here. Probably
he's eking out his pay as a rolling mill
hand by doing the gardening, or ONE
thing Of that sort, for the proprietor Of
this mansion. 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 ONE
thing like that, with a clearcut coun-
tenance II grayish side whiskers, was
standing on the porch smoking a cigar
~ fooling with a thoroughbred collie
dog.
is there any man around here 1
ins?'
WELL said he, smiling, I 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. CON
trived to Introduce myself to my uncle.
however, and he gave me a cordial
+ SiS>1liS AiLI lSSA1lS ~ " VI oISSA
man--and began to 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, 10
go back and dig UP the old folks, but he
was perpetually VOWing to Go it, all the
same, he added.
Then his three daughters. as pretty
q trio Of cousins as any fellow would
want to claim, made their appearance,
and for general finish and c~leverness,
let alone their grand looks, they Ger
tainly were summers. Then mothers app
peared, too, after a bit, and furnished
an interesting study of a refined woman
of middle age.
ITO me it was all a trance. for a fact.
They wouldn't believe me When l told
them that Id had breakfast down town,
but they carried me off to the break
fast room, if you please. and had PLACED
before me some specimens of break
fast cookery that only increased the in
tensity of my daze. Positively they
made SO much of me, and We're 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 1 had expected to find at a roll
ing mill, with a red flannel shirt on
his back, a short clay pipe in his mouth
and a big dinner bucket constantly un-
der his eye, apologized and said he'd
have to run down to the works for &
bit. He was dressed like tneEoresidert
Of a national bank when he started
II 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. 1t WAS swell house, and
no mistake.-twenty-five rooms in it
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