Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-02-28
Spice.

The chill breath Of winter is in
the air, and as the night wind
whistles around the house, and
wrestles with the blinds, the hus-
band and father, happy that his
wife and little ones are sheltered
and comfortable, draws the drapery
of mis- couch about him and is about
going off to pleasant dreams, when
the partner of his joys and sharer
of his sorrow, says:
"Seth, you must go down and
fix the furnace or the gas will
strangle the baby"
Then the wretched man buttons
his breakfast jacket over his night
shirt, polSes his left foot into the
right slipper and his right into the
left, and, drunk with sleep, feels
his way down stairs, falls over the
cooks hod of coal and kindlings
at the kitchen door, and having
loosened several dams, burst into
the cellar like a torrent. He jerks
open the furnace door, inhales a
fw quarts of coal gas, splits 1t ny
mixed with some hard words, bangs
the door and knocks over the long
poker and east iron shovel with n
clang like rolling mill in opera
ton. He seizes the wrench. and
hooking IL on to the CRATE, which
has heretofore Welded snlleuly to
his strength, revolves rs if it was
set in oil, depositing the whole fire
in the ash box with the exception
of two or three big clinkers that
wedge it up edgewise. First he
tries to pull it back with the wrench
but the wretched thing won't move,
Then he gets down on hands and
knees and jabs at the clinkers with
the poker like man stirring up O
cage of animals in menagerie
but the hot Goals heat him up tC
another attempt on the wrench
and, springing to his feet, he braces
himself for a mighty pull, wber
the CRATE slips into place like {
spring lock, the wrench slides of
and bangs his bare shins as h
staggers back and knocks his heaC
against the plaster partition.
Just then the policeman ring
the front door bell and asks, 81
there is a fire in there 7" and hav
ing the door slammed in his fac
with, "No, l wish to-ther
was" tells his relief at the mex
corner that "old Simkins, at 4:
is drunk and raising an awful row
That unhappy citizen hurrie
back to the cellar, and THROWN
basket full of wood and kindlina
into the furnace, he lights them, an
starts for the coal bin. Returnin
with n hod full of coal, he essay
to pitch it dexterously into the fu
mace. Just then puff of Woo
smoke strikes him in the eyes, I'll
edge Of the bod strikes just belo
the furnace door, and the content
are dashed on the floor, with I'll
exception OF the finer particle
which sift into his slippers. Wit
the calmness of despair be fills Il
furnace-pot by shovels-full an
with sneezes hearlding a comm
cold, waits until the fire is an a
complished fact. AS he reach'
the chamber floor a dismal wa
freezes his already chilled bloc
and he is welcomed back by h
loving wife with,
al wish you could ever 10 an.
thing about the house, Seth, wit
out making such dreadful nois
Here is the baby broad awake, AT
don't bslieve we shall get anoth
wink of sleep tonight"
Then the wretched man pulls n
few hairs virtuous life has left hil
the comforts of his home fade fro
his mind; aud he wishes he was
homeless wanderer ia the CO
streets with the prospect of war
lodging at the station house.