The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-10-14
Locking tlyn TrupIr.

/
as she arose from her knees. hot nm,
slIed with packing, and rubbing th
snia, ,,, OF her back as she straightene,
up, I'm all through now, and wisl
you would lock this;trunk."
Certainly, said Mr.. Spoopendyke
cropping his paper and slamming dow
me ia. "All you've got to do is ius
nt the hasp in the lock and turn th,
But the key didn't quite turn. and Mr.
Spoopendyke hit the hasp with the side
OF his fist and tried it again,
Don't it work ?" asked Mrs. Spoopen.
dyke, Watching the proceeding with con.
siderable interest.
=. It'll work If you'll let it alone" said
Mr.. Spoopendyke severely, and he raised
the lid, dropped il again, pounded the
hasp and wrenched ut the KEY with all
his strength. "Stand back and give me
room, can't your" he growled. as he
pressed down on the cover and gave the
Key quick twists in vain effort to catch
the lock unawares.
why don't you rest your weight on
It and let me lock itY' asked Mrs.
Spoopendyke, futtering around her hus-
band and wondering if he was thorough
~ aware that his plug hat was immedi-
ately under the lid.
"Have You got the time to keep away
from this thing and let me work it ~
concluded Mr.. Spoopendyke, contem-
plating his wife with Spartan express
sion of visage. "S'pose 1 can do any
thing with you sitting ON my elbow? Ii
ycuIl go down cellar for O minute I'll
lock this trunk" and Mr.. Spoopendyke
banged away at the hasp and breathed
hard. But his best efforts could only
turn the key half way.
"Ohl amt I glad you couldn't lock
1t r. exclaimed Mrs. Spoopendyke,
anxious to stay her husbands growing
wrath. 81 forgot to put in your walk
ing cane"
"Dod CAST the cane |" sputtered Mr..
Spoopendyke. oppose it's going to
lock any easier with dod gasted walk
ing cane sticking out at one end? Who
says can't lock it ? What's the reason
l can't lock it" and he stood off and
fetched the hasp tremendous kick.
Anything else you've forgotten to put
in 2" and he sprang on the lid and tugged
at the key with his head thrown back
and his teeth set. "Got couple of
mirrors you want in here? ANY china
around the house that wants a ride in
this trunk? Want to put in that dod
gssted ass on the top floor, who tries to
play. the fiddle ?" and he Topped off on
to the floor and banged ct the hasp
again.
'Let me sit on it," suggested Mrs.
Spoopendyke, climbing up without
waiting for a response. ''Now try it."
Mr.. Spoopendyke fumbled around
and worked at the hasp and key, but
fruitlessly.
"Can't ye sit any harder than that ?"
no yelled, as the key stuck and would
not turn either way. "Fraid of break
ing the measly thing? Press down,
can't yep
Mrs. Spoopendyke squirmed around
and said, "Now DEAR" and then looked
over to see how he was getting on, but
still the lock was obdurate.
"Dod CAST the measly trunk |" howled
Mr.. Spoopendyke, firing the key out
the window and giving the trunk fare
well kick. eff you want it locked you
get blacksmith and steam derrick"
and Mr.. Spoopendyke threw himself
into chair and pretended to bury him
self in his paper.
81 don't know how we're ever going
to get it OPEN" said Mrs. Spoopendyke
after long silence.
SECT what open ?" growled her hus-
band.
"The trunk. Now 1 remember, it's
got spring lock, and when you took
the key out it locked itself. I don't
suppose we can ever find the key"
''That's it p yelled Mr.. Spoopendyke.
"You know all about it now Why !
didn't you tell mo it was spring lock !?
What dye keep it to yourself for?"
81 forgot" whimpered Mrs. Spoopen-
iyke, "but it will be all right. l can
open it."
ooh, you can open it p snorted Mr..
Spoopendyke. you're an opener All
you want is to be sharpened on both
sides TO be an oyster knife With a dark
lantern and II skull cap you'd make
full set of burglars tools. Oh, yes,
you'll open it If you had loose han,
de and one corner kicked Off you'd get
rich as screw driver |" and Mr. Spoop-
endyke tore ont of the house to see if
ne could borrow something to pry open
hat unfortunate trunk.
"That gives me lime to pack The
Valise," murmured Mrs. Spoopendyke,
and as I've got another key to the
'runk, We'll do pretty well after ALL"
md the worthy lady began to jam night
'hirts and hair oil into the bags, together
With sandwiches and tooth brushes, won
lering betimes whether Mr.. Spoopen-
iyke's silk hat had been so badly
smashed that it wouldn't do to 90 fish.
ng in on rainy days, even if it didn't
ook well enough for church. Brooklyn
Eagle.