Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-24

Third day-Mr. MOuser took time to
glance over the daily news after din
ner Record, three cord-sticks.
s'Lisbeth," said he, Il think I've been
cheated in that sawjack. It's not put
together on as practical a plan as [ was
led to believe. It wiggles."
Fourth day-Mr Mouser toyed over
his dinner extensively. He smoked his
pipe and read the paper. He glanced
over his monthly magazine until dark,
and then started up, exclaiming:
Mercy! how short the days are!'
Mrs. Mouser enjoyed the situation in
teEseIv, but never said word.
Fifth dav-Mr MoUser rose with a
sense of injustice resting upon him.
| All day he was haunted by the out
rageous fate that made him the owner
of a sawingjack.
''My dear, we require more wood
than usual to-day and tomorrow, wash
| ing and ironing days, you know" said
| Mrs. Mouser, as soon as he got home.
81 never saw anything like the way
you women manage to consume fueir'
and Mr.. Mouser grabbed his hat and
strobe angrily toward the wood-pile.
A few sticks fell before the savage
manipulation of the saw, while Mr..
Mouser's snarling kept excellent time
to the wild motions of the sawyer.
.'Confound this businessr' he NUT
tered, kicking at the harmless jack
not as hard as he wanted to kick, for
fear his wife should see him, and, wo-
manlike, cry, Il told you so, :" and add
insult to injury by blabbing to those
| busybodies, his friends, who kept ask
| ing him how he was getting along saw
| ing wood. He did wish folks would
mind their own business.
With a crash he sent the saw flying
over the wOodpile. This was too much
| His wife was a brute to expect him to
work like a slave during the few mo-
ments he could call his own free from
/ business drudgery. But if he gave up
| he would never hear the last of it. Oh,
if he could only get rid of that saw
jack.
A long time he pondered; at last a
smile of Joy Illuminated his face. That
night, after his wife had retired, Mr..
Mouser slipped out and carried that
hated green object to the front gate.
Presto! in the morning the corpus de
licti would be gone. The highway was
full of robbers, who would steal any
thing and everything.
He would make big fuss about the
loss, but take good care not to buy a
second sawiack. And without one how
could he saw the family fuel? His
wife shouldn't get the laugh on him!
He slept the sleep of the just until
about O'clock in the morning. 1t
was still dark, but the anxiety to as
| sure himself of the loss of his trouble
caused him to sneak out and reconnoi-
tire. The sawiack was still there Mr..
Mouser whispered-no prayer, ''Oh,
well, there is time enough still between
! this hour and daylight for a theft to be
committed" he muttered. It was the
voice of Mrs. Mouser that awakened
him in time for breakfast. He glanced
out of the window the first thing. Oh,
how brightly the sun shone, and that
sawiack cleaned up at him in all its
verdant beauty. No robber hand had
carried it away. A fearful sigh escap-
| ed the Mouser bosom.
''You must saw some wood for me
before you go, DEAR" said his wife.
| ''What, more WoOd!'
Eyes, dear; recollect you only sawed
one stick last evening" rejoined Mrs,
Mouser, meekly, but a wicked CLEAN
of mischief played about her eyes and
mouth.
Mr.. Mouser ignored her reply, and
fastened to toy with his pretty tools
with vigor born OF awful fury. A
great swear word desired to be born,
but his lips were compressed, while
way down in his soul voice groaned
That sawingjack must go!
| Where? whence? how?
Mr.. MouSer was man of resources.
Twelve o'clock, midnight A burglar
ish darkness and silence brooded
around as man stole hence from his
couch, and, grabbing his trousers, left
a coy bedroom. A little later the only
other active creature about-a feline
prima donna-might have witnessed a
sorry sight; solitary man, marching
downward, clutching in his strong right
hand a beautifully-painted green saw
ingjack.
Soon he returned. The sawingjack
where was it?
Mr.. Mouser rose that morning in q
most delightful frame of mind.
'Iisbeth-my dear little Lisbeth, >
he exclaimed friskily, ''Im going tC
work in earnest, to-day. l am feeling
fine-much better than I have for some
time Here, feel this arm. How's that
for muscle, eh? That's what saving
wood has doner'
Lisbeth blinked oddly, but looked
contented. Mr.. M0user fastened out
to Flip off stick or two before break
fast but soon came in looking quite
angry and puzzled.
What in the world has become o.
that JACKIE 1t was gone. ''Such infa
my-to steal ones very implements OF
toiln' he cried in a rage, as he sent fol-
the old wood sawyer again.
Mr.. Mouser, of course, grieved over
his loss, but managed to conquer the
regret sufficiently to display some o,
his old wit and mirth
But this good feeling received a sud
den check the morning after the bur
glary of the ''jack."
He had just opened the daily paper
when his glance was arrested by q lead
ing paragraph.
Heavens, Lisbeth, look at thiS"
Mrs. Mouser became alarmed. He
husband was pale as death, and tremb
ling in every limb, as he handed heI
the paper. She read:
The residence of the Hon. Oliver
was broken into night before astand ;
large sum of money and valuable plate
and jewelry stolen. The rob
bers entered by the garden window
from which they had removed the iror
grating, Willie standing on singula,
looking wooden object, recognized b.
{ Old-faShiOned country folks as q saw