The Ocala evening star., 1905-07-15

The sittin room sofy and any guam
uty Of things. And the old man was
gittin older, crankier and deefer ev-
cry day.
Got so it was kind o. a joke, as yer
might say; I'd do il al the table just
for fun. Have some beans. ye- old
image?" Id ask him. the fust part
loud enough 70 take the roof of and
the rest in an ordinary tone of voice
And then Maria'd pucher Up her face
TO keep from larfin'.
For them TWO years he never men
toned Siddies folks except to run
'em down. but all al once he began to
change his tune. Begun 10 wonder
haw they was gettin' along, and said
he would like 10 see en-. till Maria
and me began to git real worried
His sevenIy-eighJh birthday was
comm, and We thought 'twOuld please
him if We made a kind O. celebration
Of it. We talked il over some. and
Maria said she'd git up a special good
d ner and have whoppin' birthday
cake. | told her twas foolishness,
DAt CllN " oS CCN OlI ~ anu SdAO AC ~ as
old and childish and would be tickled
10 death, so let her go ahead.
Well. the morning of his birthday
hitched up and drove TO town to buy
some hay for the cattle. cos we'd run
out. Well, when | got home l found
Maria in an orful stew.
Seems she'd gone Ove. to the Nick
ersons ter borrow some sugar, and
she and Pashy Nickerson got talkin'
about the ministers wife: how eXtrav
agant Nathaniel Nixon was since he
get married. and one thing er another,
till twas IL O'Clock fore she started
hCme. On the way she met Lysander
Holmes, who drives the mail cart, and
he says, Left a package at Dur
house. twas for yer Uncle Eph.''
We had fine dinner, roast beef and
plum puddin' and heaven knows what,
but nothin' suited Uncle Eph. He
growled at the vittles and said this
was burnt and that was raw, till | got
madder'n a young heifer. Fin'lly
Maria went out and fetched the birth
day cake. Twas a noble old cake |
tell yer; there was Uncle Ephum on it
done in red peppermint lozenges;
Maria made the letters so big there
wasn't room for the IN" on the end.
Here's a big slice for you. Uncle.
hOwled. and then | says, in my us ual
voice. Looks as if it would poison
yer and hope to goodness it will"
Well, he just Srinned and took the
slice and bergan TO eat il ard | set
down and pulled my mustache down
so as he wouldn't see my lips move
a,d commented. | sartinly did give it
to him hot and heavy. Maria had ter
cough half dozen times TO keep from
lGrfin out See i'm eat" I'd say,
We've got him this time Every
mouthful is just as good as dee 10
two acres of that hop field. Have
some more? That's right. Well kill
the deef. old reptile this time. | can
see the melOdeon in the parlor. Or
der the undertaken, Maria: this is the
best days work you ever done"
When he had finished three whoop-
in slices | says: Better have little
more You old alligator, we wan, to
Kill YOU quick; don't want you hang
in along"
Then he sits up kinder slow and
deliberate. lays down his knife and
fork and says:
No" he says the old alligator
won't have any more; he's had
enough-of cake and other things.
Hat
this afternoon if I was you. and
wouldn't rely on pickin' them hops
this season" And out of the room
he walks. leavin' me and Maria look
in like a couple of wax men.
"He can hear" says she after
spell.
He's heard every word we've
said" says I. Then we both looked at
each other and never said Boo for
as long as five minutes. Then we
heard Uncle Eph come stampin' down
stairs He had his old plug hat on
and his cane in his hand. and he walk
ed out of the gate and down the road.
You must foller him" says Maria.
l grabbed my hat and ran after + n.
but he got down to town first and
went into the telegraph Office. When
he came out | went in and tried TO
find out who he telegraphed to, but he
had left word with the clerk TO tell
no one. so | got no satisfaction. Maria
was fairly dancin' when | got home.
Hes upstairs in his room" she
sa~s. with the door locked and he's
THROWN things around like all pos
sessed He's been deef for years and
years and how. how. can he hear
nOw?"
AT ( O'Clock somebody drives up to
the gate: twas Siddie's old man in
his wagon. Uncle Eph comes hop1in'
right downstairs with his bag filed
up.
oh. uncle dear" sobs Maria,
where be you gOin'?"
The deef old reptile" says he, is
gOin to find another burrow," and he
@limbS into the wagon