Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-11-16
BUILDING A FOUNTAIN.


it would squirt straight up, my dear,
that makes considerable of fountain.
wish | had thought of 1t before"
Upon my word!" giggled Mrs.
Spoopendyke. "Why you are really
an inventor. Thp.'s the best fountain
| ever saw but how are you ever 60
ing to take it down. ?" aud Mrs, Spoop-
endyke contemplated the fountain with
considerable misgiving.
"Don't want to take it down"
grunted Mr.. Spoopendyke. at comes
down itself by the natural law of grav-
itation. Did you suppose that water
intended to squirt up in the air and
wait fr me to BRING it down on step
ladder? Got some kind ofa notion
that | was go'ng TO tie rope around
that water and haul it down, hadn't
We? Well, I'm not, and | amt going
to offer it any chromos to come down
either" And Mr.. SpoopenPke seated
himself on the wer step aud eyed his
fountain with a great deal of satisiac-
ton.
"How long are you going to let it
squirt ?" asked Mrs. Spoopendyke, anx'
ious to have the trouble begin that it
might be over the sooner.
"Oh, guess about twenty feet re-
piled Mr. Spoopendyke, measuring the
height of the stream with his eye and
chuckling to himself That's about
as long as the pressure would permit,
and thought I'd let it go that far be.
fore hitched it up, and Mr.. Spoop.
endyke shook all over as the full
strength of the joke impressed itself
upon him.
Mrs. Spoopendyke watched the play
of the water in silence.
'P'raps you think can't get that foun-
tain apart without getting wet" said
Mr.. Spoopendyke at length. Maybe you
hive imbibed the idea that when |
turn the water off I'm going to be soak
ed. Well, I'm not. The head that
invented this fountain knows how to
keep itself dry" and Mr.. Spoopendyke
got up and walked around his prize,
his face beaming with smiles. The
water was falling in perfect shower
upon the key box, and in the after
noon sun the fountain looked remark
ably pretty.
Mrs. Spoopendyke made no resPone
but patiently awaited developments.
"Now bring me the umbrella said
Mr.. Spoopendyke, preparing himself
for the closing triumph. Bring me
forth the fry, untamed umbrella" "
and Mrs. Spoopenpyke handed it to
him, he raised it. picked up his key
and approached the stream. The um.
brella protected him from the down
pour, but a. he bent over to turn the
water off, the Kissing shaft struck un-
der the gingham and raising the um-
brela with vicious jerk, tipped Mr..
Spoopendyke over on his beam ends.
"Dot gast the measly squirt" " he
yelled as soon as he recovered breath.
"What did We want to distract my at.
tention for p and he shook the um-
brella at his wife as he rose dripping to
his feet. "Another time when I'm
fixing this fountain you get under the
bed, ye hear ?" and Mrs. Spoopendyke
glared around him and approached
the enemy once more.
This time he held the umbrella
straight out before him, cropping along
behind it with the key. He almost
reached the rod when the stream struck
the outside Of the umbrella, and as in
it whirled, Mr.. Spoopendyke spun
around, landing in a sitting po-
sition on the fountain, which lifted
him about foot and rolled him in the
gutter.
That's what ye we're waiting to see,
was it ?" he shouted as he climbed to
his feet and shook his fist at his tremb-
ling wife. "Been roosting up there to
watch this display of genius against
brute force! Got an idea hid away
somewhere that this fountain and me
amt on friendly terms?' and he
whanged the umbrella across the
steadily pouring stream, got caught
once more and landed in the gutter
again, this time on the back Of his
neck. "How dye like the show ?"
he squealed, bounding to his feet.
There's going to be a concert after the
circus |" and he charged once again
with his umbrella, which this time was
ierked out Of his hands and rolled
over into the street. Procure your
tickets of the gentlemanly ushers !"
and he grabbed his weapon and made
another onslaught. Not that the
circus performance is concluded !" he
continued as he fell clear over the
stream and rolled into the umbrella.
"The best is yet to come !" and in try
ing to straighten the umbrella which
had turned inside out he caught the
fountain again and slid down on It to
the curb-store with q sound like q