Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-10-24
CLAIMING HIS SKELETON.

w H6n JOHN w WeHtNOTtu put his las
touches to his work.he stood back ant
regarded it with admiration. III.
stood with his hands in his pocket.
and his cap well back on his head
and he felt that glow of self-satisfac
ton which man feels who has JUS
finished long and arduous task.
"Well," said he as he turned his
head, now this way and then that
"I call that frst-class job, by
! Georgel"
1t was certainly most complete
piece OF mechanism, every joint per-
fectly fitted, yet perfection is never
altogether appreciated, and when Mrs.
Jones, the landlady, deceived by the
silence into supposing that Went
worth had gore out, and thinking the
present a good time to fix up the
room, came in, she gave a scream of
terror, and on catching her breath,
cried:
Laws, Mr.. Wentworth, what a start
that horrid thing did give me. You're
not going to keep that in the house,
Mr.. Wentworth ?"
"Mrs. Jones, let me present you to
our distinguished fellow-lodger, j. w.
Stodgers. / venture to say that more
complete or handsomer skeleton
cannot be found in Ann Arbor, Mrs.
Jones, if did wire him myself. John
w. viii give you little trouble, Mrs.
Jones, and if, wheIi we're out, you give
him little touch upsssith tie .duster,
he viii not only appreciate it, but you
will also oblige Mr.. Smile and my
self, for we are partners in j. w. Stod-
gers"
Mercy sakes, I'll never come into
this room if that skeleton is to be
here"
@Oh, John w. is harmless. Besides
he has been in that box here for some
weeks. I've only helped him to col
lect himself, as it were"
At this moment tile low jaw o. the
skull dropped with a click to an
angle of f,,rty-iive and Mrs. Jones
gave another little shrek as she
looked. with avcrted gaze at the sort Of
dry, bony, silent, fixed laugh of the
skeleton.
That" said Wentworth, with par
donable pride, ais little device of my
own. That Jaw stOfs in place about
haitian hour and then drops. BY the
way, Just notice what lovely set OF
teeth John w has That's the fault |
find with most ol our American skel-
etons. They have poor teeth. 1t
seemed to Smile and me that this
fellow must have been an English
.lnan, he had such good grinders, so
we christened him Stodgers, an aris-
tocratic name over there, am told"
1T gives me the chilfs to look at it."
said Mrs. Jones. The fading after
noon light threw deep shadows in the
eyeless sockets that gave Mrs Jones
an uneasy feeling that the skeleton
was looking at her.
That's because you always had
Lifts to board here instead of 'Medies.'
You'll get use to John w. He's an
unobstrusive cuss. II everybody
minded his own business with the ex-
clusiveness j. w. does there wouldn't
be much trouble in this world"
Wentworth bitterly remembered
this remark later ON.
At this moment young Smile came
in. -
sBy Jove," said Smile, in adlnira-
tion, you've done that up tiptop, John.
Thunder, call that a triumph" and
he walked around and took a side
view OF it, "That's what / call
deuced good Job for a first attempt.
Did you ever see anything handsomer,
Mrs Jones ?"
"Mrs. Jones thinks she has, said
Wentworth.
dts awful" shuddered Mrs Jones.
"To think that was alive and walked
around like the rest of usl"
"And thou hast walked about, how
strange story" quoted Smile. "That's
so, it's rough on John w, isn't it ?"
Mrs. Jones went down stairs and
the medical students closed the
door.
"His jaw drops little, John" said
Smile.
sThat's all right; shows the action,
you know" and Wentworth with a
ruler touched John W. under the
chin, and the two cleaning rows OF
teeth came together and remained in
that fixed grin Characteristic OF
skeletons.
Wentworth had placed a narrow
table against the walk and ON it John |
w. sat with his skull fastened to the |
wall so as to keep him upright, while |
his spindly white legs dangled down
and swayed gently to and fro, when
the door opened or a breeze came |
through the window.
The medical students sat down and |
Wentworth was telling Smile how he |
had overcome certain difficulties in |
when there entered with |
silence a stranger.
Excuse me, gentlemen" he said.
"Beg your pardon" said Went /
worth, II didn't hear you knock"
Il didn't knock"
"Oh!"
GTake chair" said Smile.
81 will stay but few moments"
replied the stranger.
OF course neither of the young men
knew all the hundreds of students at /
the University, but they thought the
belonged to one of the de-
although it seemed odd
that he should enter without rapping.
@Aave cigar" said Wentworth,
pushing the box toward him.
aI came on business said the
Stranger, "and do not smoke. That is
nv skeleton"