The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-01-23
A BIT OF WALL PAPER.
SENTIMENTAL "REMINISCENCES or AN
CID GENTLEMAN.

He Was from Troy, but He Started Life
In the Observation-Disclosures OF
His Early Married Life-Struggling for
a Mcmento-The Hard Hearted Boss.
A middle aged man who was gazing
absentlv out of q window of an elevated
car the other day started suddenly and
GRAINED his neck to look at q big hole in
the wall Of brick and brown stone front
BY which the train was passing. Two
or three houses had been torn down to
make room for improvements, and the
hole was all that was LETT of them, save
q litter of broken bricks in the cellar
and an acre or so of wall paper IN many
designs upon the sides Of the adjoining
building. The middle aged man got out
at the next station and walked back to
the hole. He stood on the sidewalk a
moment, looking first upinto the air and
then at the half dozen workmen who
were removing the last traces of the
wreck. Presently he appeared to pluck
up resolution, for he grayely descended
the rough plank gangway that led from
the street to the bottom Of the hole and
approached the boss of the gang.
Been tearing down these houses, l
see," remarked the middle aged man by
way of introduction.
The boss stared.
1--WE amt been PUTIN up any" he re-
sponded.
SEEKING \ SOUVENIR.
''That's what l meant" said the mid.
die aged man im~perturbably. Would
YOU mind lending mo a ladder for a
minute OF two:s
What in thunder do you want to do
with it, exclaimed the boss.
Il want to climb up to that piece of
paper, responded the middle aged man,
pointing to a section of the wall that
wa covered with a greenery gallery de-
sign. You see" he continued. Il used
to live there"
There was a suspicion of moisture in
the middle aged mans eyes and a faint
smile on his lips as he said this, and he
looked up at the soiled patch of paper as
a traveller might view the receding lights
of his native town. The boss was puz-
zled and suspicious, but after a moment
of silence, while he pretended to be
watching his men. he said:
lyon can take that one in the corne
if you'll moveit yourself and put it back
again"
The middle aged man bowed without
a word, took off his overcoat and laid 4
gently upon a pile of bricks, laid down
his cane, and proceeded, at the expense
of no little exertion, to place the ladder.
AS he began to climb up the boss ran
over and said threateningly:
See here, now; no shenanigin! You'll
only get a broken bone or two if you fall
from that ladder"
The middle aged man laughed quietly.
do not fear he answered; I'm not
going to commit suicide. I'll be down
all right in q few minutes"
Nevertheless the boss detailed two Of
his men to stand uz.der the ladder to
break the fall of the stranger should he
try to tempt death from the ladder top.
TIE STORY.
The middle aged man climbed up, and
when he was at the top he could just
reach the lower edge of the greenery
gallery wall paper. He looked at it
Cd1 ACoLtA anu lA4Sl1 QiCn puO d DOChCt
knife and cut off q small section that
contained the principal elements of the
design. H put the scrap into his pocket,
descended, logged the ladder back to its
proper position, put on his overcoat and
stepped onc more before the boss.
Il am much obliged to YOU he said.
"You see, when l was first married we
went to housekeeping here. We had
two unfinished, unfinished rooms up
two flights. We were desperately poor,
wife and l; just enough to get on with,
you know. The other people in the fiat
were also poor. They couldn't afford to
paper their vacant rooms, and the land
lord wouldn't spent a cent. So We pa
pered them ourselves. We got the paper
best we could find of the cheap grades
and wife made a paste out of -four and
water. We fixed up a brush out of a
towel. Then With chairs and a table for
a stepladder we papared our-ou apart
ments. J. say the same old paper as ]
wa riding by, and 1 thought a piece OF
it would be n nice souvenir"
The boss heart was touched.
And the wife," he said hcsitatingly,
''iS-er'-
.Oh, no. exclaimed the middle aged
man, smiling c~heerfully. ''She's alive
and hearty, thank you, We live in Troy
now, and we've got three strapping chill
dren. Circumstances are better now, if
you please. Whenever l colne to town l
make it a point to look at our first home,
and today | saw that it was only empty
air The vra11 manor vac tbare though
and I tho1ght I'd get a piece to take
home to my wife as a remembrance of
our first housekeeping, am very much
obliged to yea"
The micdle aged man walked up the
gangplank with quiet dignity, and the
boss, still disturbed by the episode, re-
marked:
"What q queer chap it is, by tlun-
der!"-New York Sun.