The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-11-07

AedIS Guo rOOIu U0bCer Lner0 tQhn on GhO
floor. 1t is only a cooking-stove, to be
| sure, but when the winter is cold, 1t
makes this room comfortable. Being up
in the middle of the space. it heats it
all equally well, which it could not do
if it were down below"
The doctor greeted this theory with a
loud laugh. Colonel" he said, "you
are wild-way off the mark. Hot air
rises, of course, and the only way to dis
seminate it is to have your stove as low
as possible. According to your idea, it
| would be good plan to put the furnace
in the attic of house instead of in the
basement"
81 think" said the Colonel, "that I
could appreciate your argument better
If you would ante"
"The pot is mine," said the doctor, as
he deposited his coin; you will all adopt
my idea the moment you hear it, and
Long Tom, who will be here in min
I ute, will bear me out. This room is
very small; it has but little floor space,
and none of it goes to waste. Now, il
he had put the stove down where we ex-
pected to find it, Long Tom could not
have made use of the area underneath,
as you see he has done. On all sides Of
the supporting posts, you will notice,
there are hooks, on which he hangs his
pans and skillets. Underneath. there
is a kitchen closet for pots and cooking
utensils of various sorts. What could
be more convenient? Under your ordi-
nary stove there is room only for poker
and few cockroaches."
The judge, who had been listening to
the opinions offered by the others with
the same grim smile that occasionally
ornamented his face when he announced
that an objection was overruled, now
stepped forward and dropped coin on
the table. He then rendered his decis-
ion as follows:
ut appears that none of you have
noticed the forest of hooks in the
roof just over the stove. They are not
in use at present, but they are
there for some purpose. l imagine that
during the winter huge pieces of ven
ison and bears meat dangle over the
stove, and are dried for use later. Now,
if the stove were on the floor, it would
be too far from the roof to be of service
in this way"
"Here comes old Tom," shouted the
Colonel, who had stepped to the open
| door while the judge was speaking.
The old trapper put down the various
articles of baggage with which his
arms were loaded and came into the
| kitchen-cabin where we all stood. He
glanced at the group and then at the
stilted stove in our midst.
Il see you air all admirin' my stove,"
said he, land I'll bet you've been
a-wonderin' why it is up so high"
"Yes, we have" said the professor
show did you know it?"
People most allTs generally jest as
soon as they come into the place begin
to ask mo about it-that's how ]
| knowed."
well, why is it up so high?" de.
handed the stock-broker, impatiently,
with side glance at the well-developed
Jackpot on the table.
The reasons simple enough said
Long Tom, with a grin that showed his
bicuspids; ''you see, we had to pack all
this stuff up here from down below on
burros. Originally there was four
jints of that stove-pipe, but the cinch
wasn't drawed tight enough on the
burro that was carryin' them, and two
of 'em slipped out and rolled down tho
mountain. When we got here and
found that there wasn't but two pieces
left, reclloned that l would have to
kinder hist the stove to make it fit the
pipe-so jest in and h'isted her. And
thar she is yet Say, what's all this
here money on the table for?"
There was deep silence which lasted
SO long that Tom ventured to repeat his
question about the money.
1T is a jackpot" said the doctor,
sadly, land as near as can make out,
it belongs to you."-Fred Bayham, in
The Argonaut.