The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-03-16
A Steam Chair.

bring me candy sometimes, but he isn't
what he used to be.
One time-that was last summer-he
was always dreadfully anxious to hear
from the postoffice, and whenever he
came to see Sue, and he and she and
would be sitting on the front piazza, he
would say:
Jimmy, think there must be letter
for me; I'll give you ten cents if you'll
go down to the postoffice;" and then Sue
would say:
Don't run, Jimmy; you'll get heart
disease if you do" and I'd walk way
down to the postoffice, which is pretty
near half mile from our house. But
now he doesn't seem to care anything
about his letters; and he and Sue sit in
the back parlor, and mother says
mustn't go in and disturb them; and l
don't get any more ten cents.
I've learned that it won't do to fix
your affections on human beings, for
even the best of men won't keep on
giving you ten cents forever. And it
wasn't fair for Mr.. Travers to get angry
with me the other night, when it was all
an accident at least most all OF it; and
1 don't think it's mahly for man to
stand by and see sister shake fellow
that isn't half her size, and especially
when he never supposed that anything
was going to happen to her even if it did
break.
When Aurt Eliza came to our house
the last time, she brought steam chair;
that's what she called it, though there
wasn't any steam about it. She brought
it from Europe with her, and it was the
queerest sort of chair, that would all
told up, and had kind of footstool to
it, so that you put your legs out and
just lie down in it. Well, one day it
got broken. The back of the seat fell
down, and shut Aunt Eliza up in the
chair so that she couldn't get out, and
didn't she just howl till somebody came
and helped her! She was so angry that
she said she never wanted to see that
chair again, "And you may have it if
you want it. Jimmy, for you area good
boy sometimes when you want to be-"
So 1 took the chair and mended it.
The folks laughed at nae, and said L
couldn't mend it to save my life; but l
got some nails and some macilage, and
mended it elegantly. Then mother let
me get some varnish, and I vanished
the chair. and when it was done it looked
so nice that Sue said we'd keep it in the
back parlor. Now Tn never allowed to
sit in the back parlor, SO what good
would my chair do me? But Sue said,
stuff and nonsense. That boys in
dulged now till he can't rest" So they
put my chair in the back parlor, just as
if I'd been mending it for Mr.. Travers.
didn't say anything about it; but after
it was in the back parlor took out one
or two screws that thought were not
needed to hold it together, and used
them for boat that 1 was making.
That night Mr.. Travers came as usual,
and after he had talked to mother awhile
about the weather, and he and father had
agreed that it was shame that other
folks hadn't given more money to the
Michigan sufferers, and that they were
not quite sure that the sufferers were
worthy object, and that good deal of
harm was done by giving money to all
sorts of people, Sue said:
'Perhaps we had better 60 into the
back parlor; it is cooler there, and we
won't disturb father, who wants to think
about something"
So she and Mr.. Travers went into the
back parlor, and shut the door, and
talked very loud at first about n whole
lot of things, and then quoted down, us
they always did
l was in the front parlor, reading Rob
inson Crusoe, and wishing l could do
likewise-like Crusoe, mean; for
wouldn't so and sit in back parlor with
girl, like Mr.. Travers, not if you were
to pay me for it. / cant see what some
some fellows see in Sue. I'm sure if Mr..
Martin or Mr.. Travers had her pull their
hair the way she pulls mine sometimes,
they wouldn't trust themselves alone
with her very soon.
All at once we heard dreadful crash
in the back parlor, and Mr.. Travers said
Good something very loud, and Sue just
shrieked as If she had needle run into
her. Father and mother and and the
cook and the chambermaid all rushed to
see what was the matter.
The chair that had mended, and that
Sue had taken away from me had broken
down while Mr.. Travers was sitting in
it, and it had shut him up like jack
knife, and caught him so he couldn't get
out 1t had caught Sue, too, who must
have run to help him or she never would
have been in that fix, with Mr.. Travers
holding her by the waist, and her arm
wedged in so she couldn't pull it away"
Father managed to get them loose and
then Sue caught me and shook me till /
could hear my teeth rattle, and then she
ran MP stairs and locked herself up; and
Mr.. Travers never offered to help me, but
only said: