Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-09-04

would offer easy terms to goo
tenant"
"And when can we look over it,"
asked. SIS it your own property"
mo, sir. But we have the letting I
it. My husband would show you ovt
tomorrow, sir, if you didn't mind. q
is always away all day, and until vsr
late at night"
lis he house agent?'
mo, sir. He's employed behind th
scenes at one of the theatres. He is
master carpenter" We thanked hel
made an appointment for Sunday morn
ing, and went home delighted. As W
turned out of the square, I said:
"Did you notice how odd that woma
looked when I spoke to her? What di'
that look mean?'
Surprise" said my brother, who wa
an observant fellow.
II suppose she thought we were to-
grea. swells for the neighborhood," SAIL
I laughing.
s'Gad! I like the looks of the place
Quite respectable and old-fashioned."
We announced our success at home t.
the great relief of everybody. Mex
morning we kept our appointment, and
were received by the landlord himself
He was staid responsible looking man
Of some go years, and we were favorably
impressed with him. He took us ovel
the house, and answered our inquiries
freely and fully. Everything was salts
factory. I was delighted. But my
brother, who was of cautious tempera-
ment, kept on asking questions until I
got fairly angry. First he got on to the
matter of drains, and when he had been
reduced to silence on this head, he was
most pertinacious of the subject of damp.
At last he said:
"You don't ask a very high rent.
How's that?"
"Why," said the landlord deliberately
and turning his cap in his hand, "you see
this neighborhood is out of fashion now.
1t isn't what it once was. We've had
this house vacant for some time, and
we're anxious to let it. You can see
there's nothing wrong about the place.
If it were in the west end you'd pay six
or seven times the rent His explana-
ton seemed perfectly straight forward,
and certainly the house bore the closest
scrutiny. Eventually we closed the
The next day was lunching at my
usual CHOP house along with two or three
"StlD ..;ouse- hunting, Denton?" said
one of these.
mo, thank heaven" said. "We've
got house at last-in - square,"
6 square," echoed he thoughtful
~. "Why, square is the -.
Which number have you got?'
mo. 49," He threw his head back
and burst into a fit of laughter. The
other men laughed, too. I looked from
one to the other for an explanation.
when you've done," said I, with
dignity.
"Why, don't you know" said my
friend, recovering his gravity, mo. As
- square is hauntedr' I saw the
other men looking at me, so I put on a
bold front.
GAS if every one didn't know that"
said I composedly. He was somewhat
taken aback, but returned to the charge.
'Well, you'll have plenty of company
there,' he said. 1--WE shall have yon
in the city with fine head of
snow-white hair, acquired in single
night. Poor old boy"
"Don't you be afraid" I retorted;
'there are enough Of us to frighten any
ghost. We shall crowd him out"
II bet you a new hat you don't stop
there week," said he.
"Done with you," said I promptly.
"As often as =, you Like Any one else
mo one volunteered, and the subject
dropped. But I was extremely uncom-
portable. In the course Of the afternoon
I took my brother aside and told him.
"Phewr' said he, ''that explains the low
.ent. But it's rather serious. The gov
srnor can't stand anything of the sort.
You know how nervous he is"
Eyes, I know" said. "And it strikes
ne that the best thing we can do is to
move into the house ourselves, so that
We can tell him the story is but a myth,
I anyone let's itout to him, just you
md l."
"Right," said he, I'VE have taken the
house and we can't afford to lose the
money. Besides, it's such q capital
place."
The whole family were to move in
Ibout three weeks time. We had no
in finding pretext for proceed
ng them, and it was arranged that some
II the bedroom furniture should be i'm
sent into our new domicile. |
We were going to sell out most of our
furniture in our west end house, and the
lew furniture could be bought immedj-
Itely and placed in No. As. So at about
10 o'clock one evening, after a substan-
ial dinner in town, we let ourselves into
'ur new abode by means of the key and
ook possession. A bright fire, lit by
'ur landlady, was blazing in the kitchen.
We had plentiful supply of whisky
Al