Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1876-07-23
That Partition.

II is nov some time since one of our
Phoebe merchants deemed ii good that
be put up partition in the back part of
his store, so be sent for Chips, the
carpenter TO come and see about it. In
the iullness of time, Chips made his ap-
pearance with sawdust in his hair and a
two foot rule in his pocket and sounded
the wall with his knuckles and measured
around and talked wisely of studding
and braces. What will it cost" said
the merchant. Chips said it was that
kind of work that you could hardly tell
and then took off his hat and got down
on his hands and knees and squinted
along the foor to see if it was level.
Then be said twas an ugly job, but to
have everything moved out of the way
| and he'd send two men down in the
morning. The goods were all carried
carefully over and hustled to one side
when the men didn't come, and again
damned around on the morning after,
when two men came strolliDg in with
two boxes of tools. One was big man
with dirty face, the other a little man
with hands like nutmeg crater and a
knit jacket. They sat down on a trestle
and cut chews off plug of navy with a
chisel and spit on the stove. Then the
little man swung his legs slowly and
said that work looked like Jobb's, and
them there supports wasn't perpen-
dicular, they leaned too much toward
-street. The big man didn't think
SO; he'd bet the drinks they leaned
toward street. Then the big man
got plumb bob aud the little man got
spirit level and they spit to bacco juice
and discussed bearings till the owner
came, when they hitched up their pam
falcons and went to work. This opera
ton was inaugurated by the little man
measuring the length of the partition
and then the big man measuring it to see
Fit was right. This awakened remi-
niscences of the past in the mind
of the big man who asked the
little man If he remembered the time
they made botch of that job for old
Jancey by getting the wrong measure.
Then they both laughed, and each one
put his foot up on the trestle and they
talked about old Jancey and his daughter
and the lunches she used to bring them
and then the whistle blew for twelve
when they left. About half past one
they came back and commenced carry.
ing in lot of lumber, then they picked
up board and laid it carefully on the
trestlss; the big man got out a chalk
line, made cut in the end of the board
with saw and felt in both vest pockets
for piece of chalk. Then the little
man felt in His pockets and finding none
started down to the shop for some while
the big man sat down and looked at the
board. BY three o'clock they had sue
ceeded in saving two boards. putting up
one upright and scaiping clerk by let
ting Ratchet fall off ladder on his
head. Then they drove the end of a
board into the stomach of good natured
fat lady, one of the distracted merchants
best customers, and while she gasped for
breath she declared her intentions rela.
tive to future patronage. But it did not
disturb Mr.. Chips men, who drove nails
and whlstled and just put that partition
up to suit themselves. When the mer.
chant started to tell them how he wanted
it they simply said that it would be
wopsy- jawed and skew-ways that way
and went on driving nails. Then the
merchant went into his back office sad
man, and tore his hair and wondered if he
had lived in vain. So it went on for A
week and then Chips came around and
looked at it and pronounced it a good
job. Then he brought in his little bill,
S3l6.75, and when the merchant pranced
around and asked why he didn't charge
Sl,OOO Chips picked a little piece OF glue
out OF his whiskers and suggested that
the merchant needed another partition
on the other side. Then in q sort of
speechless way the merchant started to
pay Chips. partly in trade dollars, and
Chips refusing to accept more than
five dollars in stove lid currency except
at discount, fired to frenzy the mer
chants heart. Then there was a little
disturbance and some naughty language
used. Then there was a compromise
and Chips took $500 and called it SQUARE.
Then there was drink. But thers are
no more partitions in that merchants
store.
The Eureka Sentinel says: "a Phoebe
g. H. I Il