The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-02

rEsrr-
stranger to whom one has sold a house
or a horse. We know its little imper.
fections, which the other gentleman
does not till he has bought it: and
though there had been nothing particu-
larly wrong about Eden Lodge, 1 felt
that as aresidence (even independent
of its musical neighbor) it was not
faultless. 1 took the bull by the horns,
however, and at once observed, II hope
you like your house, Mr.. Plumlin?"
eyes," he replied quite naturally
(thereby lifting quite a load from my
perhaps too tender conscience,) II am
not one in any case to cry over spilt
milk, or to complain of a complete d
bargain; besides, beinga builder, you
see, why of course l did not expect per-
lection. There's q little damp in the
front attic There was, but I fatter my
self l know how to treat it; I've Just
| given it q coat of Paris cement and
thatn soon be all right"
I said to myself, "Ill back the Damp"
but did not pursue the subject. The
whole topic of Eden Lodge was a del
icate one, still I could not conquer my
curiosity to know how he had exercised
that musical little fiend next door; that
he had done it somehow I took for
granted, or he would never have looked
so cheerful.
"And how do you like your neighbors,
Mr.. Plumlin?"
"Oh, pretty well-not, indeed, that ]
know much of them" Then, as II
moved by an a~fterthoueht, he added
"To be sure. there's that Brown; he's
queer one. What do you think he's
been doing, or rather his people, fol-
/ believe his wife was at the bottom Of
it,"
Now" thought I to myself, otis
coming; Plumlin has had the benefit
of that piano" I replied, however,
with a blush I strove in vain to conceal,
that 1 could not possibly guess what
Brown had been doing.
"WeL, the fact is I've o large family,
most of them girls, so of course they
are all for music; they practice on the
piano-one or other of them-mostly
all day long, as is only natural. Why
shouldn't they?"
"Why indeed!" I echoed. An unholy
Joy began to fill me. l began to think
that all the poets and moralists have
taught u about the retribution that
awaits the wicked even if this world
might not be without foundation.
Just SO" he continued contemptu-
ously, "and yet this man, or his wife,
for it looks like a woman's hand, had
the impu1ence to write to me n morn
ing. I've got it somewhere" he OBJ
served parenthetically, bringing about
forty letters out of his breast pocket
and selecting one after an animated
search; yes, here 1t is"
He read the letter aloud in the ON
nibus, with many interpretations and in
terjections of contempt and wrath.
"DEAR MIR. PLuMIIN:
["lt was like her impudence to begin dear
ing me, just because she wanted something,
ing myself to you, l am relying upon our rela-
tons as friendly neighbours, and by no means
urging a legal right.
illegal right, indeed, I should think not; I
should like to see. her trying legal rights with
me upon a matter of that kind!hl
I'm the eye of the law an Englishman's
house is his castle, and he can, if he pleases,
fire royal salutes from its battlements night and
day. well. of course he cam Unfortunately,
m- wife is so constituted that noise-such az
constant piano playing"
"Now did you ever hear such athine
as that?" inquired Mr.. Plumlin, laugh
ing wildly. Gas ifIhad anything to dc
with his wife's constitution. Well to
cut q long story short, the lady objected
to '%noise;' not very complimentary, said
Mrs. P, to call our girls piano playing
noise; but that's by the way. It's her
GOODNESS that fetches me. Did you ev-
er see such n letter."
Never" [ said. cor hardly ever" ]
was obliged to put that in because rec
ognized, as far as it had gone, in Mrs.
Browns plaintive appeal the very epis-
tie l had addressed to her. She had
copied it out verbatim, without the
least respect for the laws of copyright,
but not, I.hope. without bitter reiec-
ton chat she herself had once turned q
deaf ear to its touching el~oquence.
"And what did you reply to her?' ]
inquired, with irrepressible curiosity.
"Reply to her?" echoed Mr.. Plumlin.
"Why. what would you, or any other
fellow who was not a born idiot, have
replied to her? 1 wrote to her husband,
of course. since the letter purported to
come from him, though 1 knew it did
not. and that gave me a better oppor-
tunity of speaking my mind. 1 told
him that not only had he no legal claim
which, indeed, he had the sense to
acknowledge, but that his application
was preposterous." IA very good word
to use, was my reflection, and also one
that would be familiar to her.
"'If you dent like our music I ad.
ded," continued Mr.. Plumlin, getting
himself together for his exit from the
bus, " then go somewhere else. Buy
q house at the other end of the town;
that's what I told him. Good morning,
Sir."-The Cornhill Magazine.