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Can Uncle Henry see a dark - or a light woman - stirring up mischief in any quarter? Uncle Henry can. He always sees something. And the information he produces is often uncannily correct. Occasionally a mild sensation is created by some announcement from the unaffectedly naive seer. But generally the seances are uneventful in character. Sometimes those waiting in the meagerly furnished hall that serves as a reception room, will hear suppressed tittering in the sanctum beyond. When this happens, Uncle Henry is intensely pleased. There is no effort on his part to amuse. But he would rather his clients left in a good humor then in a mood of depression.
Invariably affable, and ever ready to reply to questions concerning other individuals, Henry is particularly adept at evading any query designed to reveal certain past activities of his own.
The first inquiry he will feign to misunderstand. When the interrogations persist, he undergoes a complete loss of memory; cannot recall just wher he came from, or what the exact circumstances were that attended his leaving. Some there are among his own race who say that years ago Henry was in trouble - big trouble - Texas. They claim he ran away from Texas - for reasons wisely kept to himself; and that his name is not Henry Scyamore, but Henry White. They say too, that Henry's best and oldest daughter is a vagary of his imagination. (It is so Christian-like for a man to leave property to his daughter.)
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Henry's friends and neighbors also maintain that his dislike of widows is due to his having married a young woman who had had two previous husbands. She left Henry, they assert, and is living with another man in Dallas county. It is she - they say - who will come in to Henry's money when he dies. Those have seen the widow-inwaiting, picture her as a fairly young, "small-built", neat, yellow woman, with a good disposition, and some book learning. They say she didn't get along with Henry because she coudn't stand "dat mumbo-jumbo conjure stuff."
According to Henry's claim however, there is no truth in the story. He says his enemies wanted to fix up a "scaniculous" tale on him, so they "ma'ied him off to a widow. "Folks is 'bliged to have entertainmint," he avers. "An' fishin' in somebody's trouble-pond gives 'me no' recreation at less outlay, dan anything else day kin do. Tongue waggin' in de cheapest an' mos' usefuless spo'te dey is. Hit lets off de excess steam dat mean folks totes aroun' inside."
With sound psychological reason Uncle Henry believes every one should have something to be proud of - and something to look forward to, just as he is anticipating his residence in the big house of blue and white marble that is being prepared for him on Golden Row in Heaven.
"Whenever dey sees a good man on earf gittin' ready to jine 'em above, ole Mr. Peter he say, 'Jacob, man' dat ladder. I wants hit done today. Elijah, you take
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des bears back whar dey b'longs. Don't you lemme see 'em in hyah no mo'. MOses fetch yo' book. You ain't got no time to was'e hittin' dat rock, or readin' commandmints. We got to pull a lil pep into dis reception committee. Solomon, spruce up yo' wisecracks. David, whar dem gals you run across at de night club? 'Phone 'em to git ready fur to meet Uncle Henry. Crown-boy, step up dem alterations! Henry'll be hyah mos' any minute now.... Ga'bul claims chane dat harp. 'Fears to me hit done bust a string. Now Dan'l, you look see if Henry ain't on he way.'
"Yas Lawd, I's comin'."
AG.
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