Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-24
That Check.


DOBsoy and family got home YESTERDAY
When they got out al the depot he asked
his wife for the check for her trunk. She
couldn't find it. She looked in her pock
ct. 1t wasn't there. In the satchel. No
'Twasn't in her muf. Nor in the HE
bandbox; nor in the little bandbox
No, and it wasn't in the travelling.
basket, nor in either of the bundles
Well, where was ;:f Dobson wanted 10
know, in thunder tones. "WelI. now
Dobbie, dear, you know that didn't lose
it.n sobbed Mrs. Dobson, and Dobson
tackled the trifling articles Of luggage that
Mrs. Dobson had with her, In addition to
her trunk and his own grip-sack. with
its dirty shirt and box of collars rafting
around in it, and started for the street,
cars, saying they would look up the
check at the house and he'd come back
for the trunk They got home, aud Doh.
son spread everything out on the floor
opened every bundle and box and parcel
and turned it upside down, shook every
article that had been emptied, and there
was no check. Ii was discouraging But
suddenly Mrs Dobson remembered tina,
she laid the check on the window OF the
car as they came through Peoria. Dob
son was inclined to be mad about it, but
his wife told him he ought to be glad that
she hadn't lost it, and he would have 10
90 to the depot anyhow after the trunk.
and he would find the check there, and
with this Bit of philosophy he was ap.
peased and hurried off to the depot He
Just missed the street-car and footed it
merrily down to the depot, and sought out
the man who cleaned the cars on their ar.
rival and he hadn't found the check.
That looked bad, but it might be on the
window yet, and so they went into the
car and looked. 1t wasn't on the win
dow. Dobson went over all the windows
and examined them through pocket
magnifying glass, but there was no sign
of a check on any of the windows. Ii is
very certain, if it hadn't been so near
Sunday, that Dobson would have got
angry and said things he would afterward
have been sorry for, but he only talked
Spanish to himself few minutes, and
the man didn't understand Spanish, so
that was all right. Then he went to the
bag gage room and tried to get his trunk
without check The baggageman said
he couldn't give up the trunk without the
check Dobson got indignant; wanted to
know If he looked like scoundrel,
offered TO identify himself, to give any
security fer the trunk. He finally over
persuaded the baggageman, and went up
town for friend. He came back. and ev-
erything was all o. X. Now where was
the trunk He could pick il out among
thousand, He turned around, and there
were two trunks as like as two peas, and
one of them was Mrs. DobsOn's. He
hesitated. The baggageman grew sus.
picious. Dobson couldn't, for the life Of
him, tell which one he ought to take, and
finally the baggageman told him he could
not take either until one Of the checks
was presented. Nothing for it now but
TO 90 out home again. He caught car
and was soon in Mrs. Dobson's presence,
in a properly excited frame of mind, only
10 learn that Mrs. Dobson had found the
check and sent it down town by a neigh
boris boy, who was doubtless at the Office
door waiting in the cold now. Dobson
was in despair. The boy had walked
down and Dobson walked down so as TO
meet him, and the boy rode up, passing
Dobson on the way. Dobson left the
Office for the house again, declaring that
the trunk might go to Halifax, but when
he got home and Mrs. Dobson pleaded
that TO morrow was Sunday and what
should she wear, Dobson was overcome,
and as he now had the check in his own
pocket, he concluded to reconsider the
resolution and go after the trunk He did,
and somewhat recovered his composure
as he rode down in the car juggling the
check against his keys. But when he got
down town it was half-past nine and he
couldn't find a dray nor an expressman
anywhere, so he hired loafer on corner
to help him carry the trunk TO the street
car for a half dollar. They went down and
got the trunk and came back just In time
to see the last car streaklng out up the
track aud the hummer said his contract
was filed and he wouldn't renew, and
there was Dobson after ten o'clock at
night down down with Saratoga trunk,
and Mrs. Dobson at home waiting for her
Sunday clothes. Dobsong buckled into
that trunk with desperate energy. He
tried to carry IL, but II threw him He
pulled II along, but that was soon too
much for him. Then he got behind it
and rolled it along, and the first thing he
knew 1t had rolled down dozen steps.
Then he got in front of il and rolled it,
and the next time It rolled down stairs he
wen: too. He was demoralized; so was
the trunk. Things were coming out here
and there Dobson took some garments
and tied on the lid, and took the middle of
the street. The erratic old trunk suddenly
disappeared from Dobson's vision. II
had dropped into Havk-eye creek. He
got II out. He wrestled and toiled with
that trunk with vigor that was heroic.
Precipitation poured from every pore. He
worked, and pulled, and pushed, and
tugged, and lost his hat and his temper,
and broke his watch chain, and wet his
feet and caught fearful cold, and tore
his clothes, and tried to carry. everything
that fellout of the trunk, and got home
just IS we are going 10 press. Perhaps
Mrs. Dobson will go to church to-day and
worship; but Dobson--well, he'll not go
TO church at any rate. Darlington Hdsck-
Eye. ~ o