Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-10-18

amt" Uncle Peter explained when
that person had gone upon his errand,
"he amt a mite gaudy, but he's got
friendly feelings"
The dazed scion of the Livingstons
had thereupon made a conscientious
tour of his clubs in a public hanson,
solely for the purpose of relating this
curious adventure to those best quail
fed to marvel at it.
The old mans arrival had been quite
unexpected. Not only had he sent nc
word of his coming, but he seemed,
indeed, not to know what his reasons
had been for doing a thing so unusual.
Thought I'd Just drop in on you ali
and say 'howdy,'" had been his first
avowal, which was lucid as far as it
went. Later he involved himself in
explanations that were both obscure
and conflicting. Once it was that he
had felt sudden great longing for
the life of gay city. Then it was
that he would have been content in
Montana City, but that he had under
taken the winter in New York out of
consideration for Billy Brue.
Just think Of it," he said to Per-
cival, that poor fellow amt ever
been east Of Denver before now. 1t
want good for him to be holed up
out there in them hills all his life.
He hadn't got any chance to improve
his mind"
He'd better improve his whiskers
first thing he does" suggested Per.
cival. He'll be gold-bricked if he
wears 'em scrambled that way around
this place."
But in neither Of these explanations
did the curious old man impress Per.
cival as being wholly ingenious.
Then he remarked casually one day
that he had lately met Higbee, who
was on his way to San Francisco.
Il only had few minutes with him
while they changed engines at Green
River, but he told me all about you
folks-what fine time you was hay-
in, yachts and card parties, and all
like that. Higbee said a man ought
to come to New York every now and
then, jest to keep from getting rusty"
Back of this Percival imagined for
a time that he had discovered Uncle
Peters true reason for descending
upon them. Higbee would have re-
called him with wild tales of the New
York designations, and Uncle Peter
had come promptly on to pull him up
CT
bee would word it, with the improving
moral incident of his own son
snatched as a brand from the Tender
loin," to live life of impecunious use
fitness in far Chicago. But, when he
tried to hold this belief, and to prove
it from his observations, he was bound
to admit its falsity. For Uncle Peter
had shown no inclination to act the
part of an evangel from the virtuous
west. He had delivered no homilies,
no warnings as to the fate of people
who incontinently "cut loose" He
had evinced not the least sign Of any
disposition even to criticise.
On the contrary, indeed, he appeared
to Joy immensely in Percivaps way OF
life. He manifested a willingness and
capacity for unbending in boon COM
partnership that were both of them
quite amazing to his accomplished
grandson. BY degrees, and by virtue
of being never at all censorious, he
familiarized himself with the young
mans habits and diversions. He lis
tened delightedly to the tales Of his
large gambling losses, Oh the bouts at
poker, the fruitless venture in Texas
oil land, the disastrous corner in
wheat, engineered by Burman, and the
uniformly unsuccessful efforts to
"break the bank" in Forty-fourth
street. He never tired of hearing
whatever adventures Percival chose
to relate; and, finding that he really
enjoyed them, the young man came to
confide freely in him, and to associate
with him without restraint.
Uncle Peter begged. to be introduced
at the temple of chance, and spent a
number of late evenings there with his
popular grandson. He also frequently
made himself one of the poker coterie,
and reHshed keenly the stock jokes as
to his grandson's proneness to lose.
"Your pa" he would say, never
could learn to stay out of Jackpot
unless he had Jacks or better; he
come in and draw four cards to an ace
any time, and then call it hard luck
when he didn't draw out. And he just
loved straights open In the middle:
said anybody could fill them that's
open at both ends; but, after all
guess that's the only way to have fun
at the game. If man amt got the
sperrit to everyday aces-up when he
gets 'em, he might as well be clerkin'
in bank for all the fun he'll have out
Of the game"
The old mans endurance Of late sup
pers and later hours, and his unsus-
pected disposition to "cut loose" be-
came twin marvels to Percival. He
could not avoid contrasting this be-
havior with his past preaching. After
a few weeks he was forced to the
charitable conclusion that Uncle Pc
ter's faculties were failing. The ex-
posture and hardships Of the winter be-
fore had undoubtedly impaired his
mental powers.
81 can't make him out" he confided
to his mother. "He never wants to go
home nights; he can drink more tnan
I can without batting an eye, and
show up fresher in the morning, and