Evening star., 1921-12-11
We got to hand it b bncle Nels:


he's a great old. Soy. Deep.
shifty. cagsy. all that sort OF
thing. And you'd never guess 1t
to look at him. Not unless you're .
heap better guesser than am. Why'
he'll sit here in the apartment,
slumped in his favorite chair by one
Of the south windows. his back turned
TO what strikes me as regular fairy
land picture-especially Just at dusk.
when New York starts to light itself
up for the highland he'll neither
stir nor speak for sometimes an hour
at q stretch; even when the weather
man stages an early snowfall ana
you can see the big hotels and tall
office buildings doing a sort OF ghost
dance through the shifting white cur
tain that lifts and closes In, thins
and thickens. until you get the weird
feeling that the Metropolitan tower
and the Bush terminal must be try
ing out some new shimmy steps.
But Uncle Nels doesn't bother to
turn his head. He seems content just
to sit and stare at nothing at all, like
some mummy in q museum. Say,
what goes on in that old head Of his.
If anything. I'd give lot to know.
For now and then he shows some
queer ouirks.
Take him lately. I thought I'd no.
ticed an occasional flicker In those
faded blue eyes Of ais. as II he was
kind Of pleased with himself. Just
a faint flash that <'ould show for an
instant, but would fade out the mo-
ment he caught you watching him.
Seemed so. anyw y. 1 couldn't be
sure Once tried pumping him.
who's the joke on. Uncle Nels" 1
asked him.
"Hey?" says hN staring stupid. Il
don't make Jokes Tfilby May. Never"
uOH, comew says I. "You forget
" maybe. I'll bet as youngster
you were a regular village cutEup.
larking aroun'l with the corner gang.
banging your stein on the table and
shouting: Veil. skoll! with the best
of 'em. Now. didn't your"
But Uncle ~NelsS shakes his head.
Lot you don't know shout Sweden"
says he. 1T amt, like. Minnesota.
No! When I was young feller I got
no time for sach foolishness. 1 don't
loaf around .pe,l playing rooms and
We don't haze no movie places. All
time we work. Fishin' village 1 live
in, and 1 am no more than twelve
years old when have to help, mend
the nets and turn, the fsh on .dryin'
flakes. Then when I'm bigger. get
sent out with the boats. 1t ain't SO
had in summer. but, big storms
comes and it's cold-ugh! You're
lucky to get, back alive. We're all
poor by Sweden, too, and nobody feels
like carryin' on same as young folks
do In, hfs.oountry." %.
'.Not' even q dance now and them"
oh, maybe" says Uncle Nels. mot
like here. though. No fox trotters.
Just Swedish dances. .:,. e: -
"You had a. girl. thsnfh,5 didn't
your, goes on. s-:SSseTs.
'Ms?:4: says Uncie Nsls. sThen he
stops and rubs his ohiH yes. had
a sirl-once. Nice ,sltI fSer a..
'"f.enA who?" I suggests.
mot :. Lena" says she. ss.sMatilda.
Ain,t none any nicersthan saer."
s.Fess" says I. that's ksne usual line.
But tell me, Uncle NeIs; *hy didn't
you marry,MatildaT'
"HeS" says he, staring at me.
"What you say that for?"
''oh, conner says I. ut must have
been . long time ago Doesn't hurt
yet, does it? And it's q subject Inez
and 1 have often dfscussed-why you
happened to stay an old bachelor.
Let's have the taller"
OF course, I wasn't expecting any
kind Of q yarn. I was simply string
ing Uncle Nels along, mainly because
I had nothing better to do. I didn't
really think he'd open up. either. He
so seldom does. But somehow
seemed to have Jared something
loose in Uncle Nels. for the next thing
I knew he had glanced around eau