Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1875-05-06
THE TREAcHERoUS sToTEPIPE.


tleman who tested it is one of our most
afable and intelligent residents. He
has held several town offices, and has
twice represented this district in the
Legislature. He moved on Tuesday.
He took every care with the pipe. There
We're seven lengths to one stove, and he
hired seven boys to carry them. As soon
as he took down link boy would take
it, proceed to the street, and there wait
until joined by the next boy with the
succeeding link, each keeping four feet
back of his predecessor. Every length
was numbered with chalk, and each boy
had corresponding number on his hat.
Our friend said it was COOL deal of
trouble, but the saving in the end would
amply pay him. With each boy armed,
they were started ahead to the new
house, ant. he followed behind. 1t was
an impressive spectacle. The gentleman
did not take his eyes from them an
instant. He followed them into his new
yard and halted them in the order they
marched, and had them stand thus until
the stove came along and was put in po-
sition. There was no earthly possibility
of th.se links getting mixed, or varying
hairs breadth from the order in which
they were taken down. When all was
ready, the first boy marched up to our
friend who stood on a chair alongside
the stove, fairly trembling with suspense.
1t was the piece which started from the
stove, and it went over the cast-iron
guard VII out trouble. Our friend grew
calmer, and said cheerily:
"Now, sonny, We'll have you," to the
second boy.
He marched up. His piece was taken
and confidently applied to the end of
the upright link. 1t did not join. The
prominent citizen worked it gently to
one side, but there was no improve
ment. Then he ended it, and made an
other trial, but with no better success.
He looked at the link. 1t was chalked
No. 2 He looked down at the expect
ant boy, and the same figure was there.
The color began to drift away from his
face. He tried them again, but the two
lengths would not affiliate. He got down
on the floor with them, and weaved them
to and fro, and changed their ends, and
hit them with tine poker; but it was no
use. He was very white in the face
now, and his eyes had a scared look. He
took the lengths into the yard, followed
by the boys, each IN his proper order.
They formed about him in q respectful
semi-circle, with the lengths of pipes
under their arms. He took the hammer
and tried to bend in the top of the lower
length, and to bend out the bottom Of
the upper length. Then he put them
together again. They fitted up better,
and he commenced to hope. He got
them so nicely adjusted that all that
seemed necessary was to hit the top
length gentle tap and drive it right
down. He did hit and it came down
on one side, pinching the first finger of
his left hand, and falling over to the
ground. He said "Gracious and
picked up the length, and made another
careful attempt. He could get them to
match all around excepting about half
inch, and every time he attempted to lap
that, the other side would fly off, and the
same finger would be caught again in
about the same place. Every time that
finger was hit the smart increased, and
the pain was already becoming madden
ing. He lost his nerve and more and
more of his composure. His face got as
hot as stove, his clothing stuck tight
to his back and legs, and his eyes be-
came so dry and hard that it seemed as
if they would burst asunder and hnrt
somebody. But he clinched his teeth
and said nothing. At this juncture his
wife appeared at the back door, and
said
Gracious, Joseph, what d ridiculous
fuss you are making over little bit of
stovepipe."
That was the last feather that was the
climax to all the woel With a drowning
rush all the emotions-the sharp, bit
ter emotions of his heart, came to the
surface, and With cry like that of a
wild animal at bay, he dashed the length
of pipe he was holding into the mud,
flew at the other with the fury of a
maniac, and danced around in perfect
ecstacy of rage. At the first cry every
boy promptly dropped his length of
pipe, and throwing himself over the
nearest fence in blind terror, darted
swiftly from sight. He hasn't seen them
since. So the experiment, although a
failure, was not really expensive.
Luvu -Nctcs.