Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-03-16
"A =. VISIT ! TO
/ UNCLE ED,

CCAtCu AOLlOA oudouCu OACC III
awhile, but. then, I don't like to have
the job done too violently" remarked
an official Of the government who re.
turned recently from his deferred vaca'
tion.y "We are all liable to run into
things that amaze us when we break
away from our own fresides and get
out of our own little ruts, but
well, anyway, I went out to Wis.
consin to visit my little old mother a
> few weeks ago, and on the day when
Twas scheduled TO start back this way
she got me into a corner and told me
about one of her, brothers whom she
wanted me to visit on my way back to
Washington.
II 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 be-
meath the Intel Of the family wickieup
under a bit Of cloud, owing to some
boyish deviltry, several years before he
had attained his majority.
ED never was bad boy was the
way my good mother put 1t to me, and
he was always so fond of me, too. I'd
he very glad il you'd stop off and see
him, just for my sake. He's in roll
ing mill, or something, in Pennsyl-
vania. Homestead is the name of the
place. I suppose the poor boy has
toiled his life away all these years.
You needn't spend more than half Il
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
days visit for my sake, can't your
well, Homestead, Pa.-that's the
place where they had the great strike
and the riots and all that, about Is
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 peek at Uncle
Ed and his layout.
II arrived in Homestead about nine
o'clock on Thursday morning, cou-
pie Of weeks ago. didn't suppose
thered be any use in asking anybody
where Ed Jorkins-the latter part of
which isn't exactly his name-lived,
and so I hunted up Homestead d.
rectory. ..4
THE only Ed Jorkins in the direct
ory 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,
superintendent So-and-;o's rolling
mills, residence Such-and-Such terrace,
and, not little puzzled over that big
type, I started for the residence on
the terrace .....-... .-......-.
"Say, when found it it wasn't a
house at ALT was chateau, with
cornices and gables and minarets and
spires and dinky furbelows all over it,
and it had three or four acres of splen-
did grounds around it.
"Said l to myself: This Uncle Ed
of mine can't be living here. Probably
he's eking out his lay as a rolling mill
hand by doing the gardening, or some
thing of that sort, for the proprietor of
this mansion But l traipsed up the
gravel walk leading to the swell main
entrance to the chateau to find out.
"A fine-looking man of SO or some
thing like that, with clear-cut coun-
tenance and grayish side whiskers, was
standing on the porch smoking cigar
and fooling with thoroughbred collie
dog.
els there any man around here I
asked him, by the name of Ed Jorkins 2
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 l con-
trived to introduce myself to my uncle,
however, and he gave me cordial greet
ing-the greeting of well-bred man
and began to ask me all about every
body, 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 yowing to do it, all the
same. he added.