Old Mose's Idea Of Fresh Eggs And A Fair Count

Oíd Mose, wlio sclls eggs and cliicken on tlie streets of Austin for a liviují, is a honest and oíd negro as evor lived, bot he has got into the habit of chatting famil iarly witli bis custoiners henee lie fre quently makei mistakes Ín couiiting ou tlie eggs they buy. Hi' carries li is ware aromid na small cart diawn by a dim i nut ve iloiik.-y. He stopped in front o Mrs. Samuel Burtou's. The old lady her self carne out to the gate to make the purr liases. "Have you got any egg8 this morning Únele Mose? '' "Yes. indeed I h,as. Jes8 got Id ten dozen from the kentiy." "Are they f resu ? " "I gua'ntee 'em. I knows dey am fresh jess de same as ef I had laid 'em myse'f.' ' I'll take nine dozen. You can just count them into th8 basket." "All right, mum." He coiints, "One, two, free, foah, five, six, Beben, eijr'it, nine, ten. You kin rely on dem bein' (Vestí. How's your son coming on at de school ? He mus' be mos' grown." "Yes, uncle Mose, he is a clcrk in a bank at Galveston." "Wliy, how ole am de boy?" "He is eighteeo. "You don't tole me eo. Eighteen and ííetting a salary airead}', eighteen (counting nlnetuen, twenty, twenty-one, twentytwo, twenty-free, twenty-foah, twentyti ve, ;ind how's your gal coming on ? She was mos' growed up de las' time I seed her." 'She is married and living in Dallas." "Wall, I declar'. How de time seoots away ! Au' yo' say she has childruns ? Why bow ole am de gal? She mus' be ess about " "Thiity-three.'1 "Amdatso? (counting) firty-free, firy-foah, tiity-five, firty-six, tirty-seben, irty-eijrht, lirty-nine, forty, furty-one, forty-two, forty-three. Hit am singler lat you bas sich old childruns. You don't look more den forty yeahs old yerseö'." "Nonsense, old man ; I see you want to latter me. When a person gets to be liy tli ree years old ' "Fifty-free ? I jess dun gwintor b'leeve ut, fifty-fiee, fifty-foali, tifty-five, fifty 6ix - I want you to pay tenshun when I counts de eggs, so dar'll be no mistake - Ifty-nine, sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two, sixy-tree, sixty-foah - whew ! Dat am a hot lay. Dis am de time ob yeah when I eels I'se gettiu' ole inou'f. I ain't long 'et dis iilii. Yon comes from an ole ámlly. When you father died ho was ebenty years ole." "Seventytwo." "Dat's ole, suah. Sebenty-two, sebenlyfree, sebenty-foah, scbenty-five, sebenty six, sebenty seven, sebenty-eight, sebenty-ning - and your mudder? She was oiie ob de noblest looking ladies I ebber see. You reminds me ob her so much. Slie libbed to mos' a hundred. I bleeves she was done pass a centurian vhen she died." "No, Uncle Mose, she was only ninetysix when she died." "Den she warn't no chicken when slie died. I know dat - ninety-six, ninetyeben, ninety-eight, niuety-nine, one hundred, one, two, tree, foah, live, six, seben, eight - dar 108 nice fresh eggs - jess uine dozen, and here am oue moah egg in case ; diBcounted myself.'' Ole Mose went on liis way rejoicing. A few days afterwards Mrs. liuitou said o her husband: "I am afraid we will have to discharge hlatilda. I am satisfied she steals the nilk and eggs, I am positive about the ¦g;;, for I boujfht them day before yesterday, and now about half of them are one. I stood right there and lieard old Mose count tliem myself,, and there were line dozen.