He adores the west , but he ca n't endure its cooking . He 's always harping on his mother 's pantry and the good old down-east dinners . He 's dyspeptic and pessimistic most of the time , and he 's got half a dozen cronies just like himself . All they think of is railroads and bills of fare . '' `` Railroads ! '' I cried . And then an awful thought assailed me . `` Jimmy Nelson , your uncle is n't -- is n't -- he ca n't be Joseph P. Nelson , the rich Joseph P. Nelson ! '' `` Oh , he 's rich enough , '' said Jimmy ; getting up and reaching for his hat . `` In dollars , that is . Some ways he 's poor enough . Well , I must be going . Thanks ever so much for letting me bring Uncle Joe . '' And that rascal was gone , leaving me crushed . Joseph Nelson was coming to my house to dinner -- Joseph P. Nelson , the millionaire railroad king , who kept his own chef and was accustomed to dining with the great ones of the earth ! I was afraid I should never be able to forgive Jimmy . I could n't sleep a wink that night , and I cooked that dinner next day in a terrible state of mind . Every ring that came at the door made my heart jump , -- but in the end Jimmy did n't ring at all , but just walked in with his uncle in tow . The minute I saw Joseph P. I knew I need n't be scared of him ; he just looked real common . He was little and thin and kind of bored-looking , with grey hair and whiskers , and his clothes were next door to downright shabbiness .
If it had n't been for the XXXXX of that chef , I would n't have felt a bit ashamed of my old-fashioned Thanksgiving spread .
P. clothes hat minute pantry railroads thought time whiskers wink