Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-02-19
A BIT OF WALL PAPER.
SENTIMENTAL "REMINISCENCES OF AN
OLD GENTLEMAN.

He Was from Troy, but He Started Life
In the observation-disclosures OF
His Early Married Life-struggiing for
. Memento-The Hard Hearted Boss.
A middle aged man who was gazing
abseutlv out of q window of an elevated
o the other day started suddenly and
craued his neck to look at u big hole III
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 left of them, save
a litter of broken bricks in the cellar
and al 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 gravely descended
the rough plank gangway that led from
the street to the bottom of the hole and
approached the boss Of the gang.
'.Deen tearing down these houses, l
see" remarked the middle aged mar by
way Of introduction.
The boss stared.
1--WE amt been putin up any," he 70
sponded.
SEEKING A SOUVENIR.
"That's what 1 meant" said the mid
die aged ma imperturbably. Would
you mind lending me Il ladder for .
minute or two:"
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 Il section of the wall that
was covered with II 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:
You can take that one in the corner
if you'll move it yourself and put it back
again"
The middle aged man bowed without
a word, took off his overcoat and laid it
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; TIN 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 under the ladder to
break the fall of the stranger should he
try to tempt death from the ladder top.
THE 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
earnestly. and then drew out a pocket
knife and cut off a small section that
contained the principal elements of the
design. He put the scrap into his pocket,
descended, lugged the ladder back to its
proper position, put on his overcoat and
stepped once more before the boss.
Il am much obliged to you," he said.
"1ou see, when l was first married we
went to housekeeping here. We had
two unfinished, unfinished rooms up
two flights. We We're desperately poor,
wife and [; 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 stepladler we papered our-our apart.
ments. l saw the same old paper as ]
was riding by, and I thought a piece Of
it would be a nice souvenir"
The boss heart was touched.
"And the wife" he said hesitatingly,
'is-er'-
"Oh, no. exclaimed the middle aged
man, smiling cheerfully. She's alive
and hearty, thank you. We live in Troy
row, and we've got three strapping chill
dren. Circumstances are better now, il
you please. Whenever l come to town
make it a point to look at our first home
and today [ saw that it was only empty
air. The wall paper was there, though
and I thought I'd get a piece to TAXI
home to my wife as a remembrance O.
our first housekeeping. I am very mucl
obliged to you"
The middle aged man walked up til,
gangplank with quiet dignity, and thu
boss, still disturbed by the episode, re
marked:
"What a queer chap it is, by thun
der.'-New York Sun.