Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-12-02
Uncle BMys Blunder
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Uncle Billy says it wasn t his blum. der, He was Uncle Billy then, any. way. He was just William to a very select few and to the rest of his world he was w. H. Blank, senior member of the firm of Blank X Co.,, wholesale deal CTS in flour, feed and choice seeds.
 It was a winter morning back in the eighties that Uncle Billy, then a bach elor of 30, found letter on his office, desk, and read:
 "Dear Billy I've killed the fatted turkey for you and l II have cranberry sauce and oysters, and all the good things tha go with it, and mince pie and kruliers and applejack, etc, etc. You know Sunday is my birthday and Kate and Jim are going away. l suspect 10 get married. They are going to leave me. Kate told me as much, and l can not and will not live alone. The Bible says that it is not good for 8 man to live alone, and l say it is not good for woman either. I'm tired of it. Sun day we Fl talk it over, just between our selves. Maybe Billy boy, l can induce you to cast in your lot with mine for better or for worse, in sickness aud in health m be awfully good to you. You Fl find Sally waiting for you at Ben s. Don't fail to come early.
 P. s. "I'm going to the city tomOr row and m try to drop in at the of fee and bring you to terms> If yon fail, ImIT swoop down on you with the whole outfit"
 .Iord bless my soul!'' ejaeulated Uncle Billy, looking very much fright ened. Steps were heard coming along the hall. He thrust the letter which bore the city postmark, into his pocket. "Henry, he cried, seizing his hat tiff woman comes here look ing for me tell her Tn out of town somewhere; won t be back, you don t know when
 He spent t.e rest of the day lodging all sorts and descriptions of femininl- ty in whom he saw possible pursuers' That night he dreamed he was boy aoain. back on the old farm, drinking apple jack and playing jack-straws wltn his little sweetheart, Helen, who had been dead tnese many years and who turned out to have freckles and red hair and to be the Helen who wrote the letter crumpled up in hls coat DOCK, ct Yes that was the name aPpehdeu To this startling missive, just heleh, anu no address, not dated. lie got up the next morning with a determination to circumvent this woman who meant to marry him willy nilly. snow was falling fast when he left the tram a' inc depot in his old home town lle walked up the village street surprised to find if SO unchanged and that he had crown SO far away from these scenes 9f vouth. There was the church where he and Helen used to go. A strange parson stood in the open door snaN' ;no hands with strange congregation AZ inc tavern where he used to go' to mi mn his horse Sunday evenings he was greeted by new Propl'etoi,!, and was reminded of 'Old sammy death. notice of which has caught IL attention in the city paper re" yea,s ns before because of his unusual ase' 70 years. rrro p;IIv
 When the horse that Uncle bliiS ordered was brought around, ana ho came ont with his arms full or DunuieS' buncb of boys hailed him as santa Claus, and pelted him with snowballs; j; Some of the women passing nooddeP pleasantly at him, and some or tne men called out, " Hello Bully anu commented on the weather. .o1
 These incidents would have surPrlSeu trscIe BIlv very much, but that ms horse SO fully occupied his mind. She had taken the bit and was following her own sweet will Uncle Billy had nf drawn rein over horse for more than twenty years; he was bit irlgn.' ened and uncertain about the foaos' tVo, He wash t quite sure, but thought ne ,s was on the Big Road anu 'Iin ? farm was the third down from the TOUT corners He ought to know the place; twas the old home, and Jim lived on it now. Jim was his cousin and Jlm had invited him so often to come out He ratEer dreaded going back tneFe' and then he had never met Jiih "'i''