The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-06
A COLD NIGHT.
Howard Fielding Invites the Con-
hdence cf a Stranger,
Who Relates HIS Adventures with q Cam
vas Cot, and Gives Two Explana-
tiops Of . Cold on
- His Lungs.
tcoPYRIeHr. 1893. I

lunch factory. l noticed at once that
he had a load on his mind, a cold on
his lungs, and q vast quantity of mis-
cellaneous objects in his pockets. Evil
IDENTIFY nothing remained but to burden
his stomach. and this he proceeded to
do in sullen and desperate manner.
Having thus brought himself to an
even keel, he paused and looked at
me. My features wore the usual win
ming smile which. though wrinkled
like the other old things am wearing
this fall, is stin an invitation to conf
dence that would be worth good deal
in the handshaking line.
Il don't see what could have done
with it, muttered the stranger; and
then he began to rummage around in
his pockets. caught hurried glimpses
OF many queer things. Among
them were two gloves, one
male and the other female, rolled to-
gether; small hand mirror, a screw
driver, an iron castor that might have
come off the leg of bed, soiled
collar, several mantel ornaments, and
a bottle of yellow shoe-dressing. Last
ly he produced three gilded balls. and
laid them on the table.
''You can't begin business here with
out license" said L.
''Business?" he repeated. doubtfully
I pointed to the three balls. Then he
laughed in rattling and joyless man
ner.
''These things came off the ends of
the curtain poles-pourchairs, you
know, as the French call them" said
he.
I have elsewhere noted the fact that
the pronunciation of that word is a
sure indication of mans residence.
"You are from New jersey" said L:
somewhere along the Erie line,
should say"
You're right; I'm from New Jersey,
ha, ha" said he, ''and I'm not going
back. We had a nice little place out
there. but my wife got discontented,
ha, hal had to give it up"
I've noticed that it's always mans
wife who gets discontented: that is,
when he's telling the story. However,
the dry and cackling laugh with which
the stranger rounded his hoarse pc
riods showed that he would be happy
yet, if he escaped pneumonia.
"We wanted to move the 1st of the
month";" he croaked, ''but one thing
and another have delayed us. The
principal trouble was that we couldn't
get a man with a wagon to move US.
Three days ago, however, induced an
old fellow out there to make a begin
ming with US. We had our place in
town engaged, and the rent and gas
meter had begun to run, so thought
we'd better run after them before they
got too far ahead of us.
"The old fellows name was Wenner
He came round with his wagon Tues
day morning just as 1 was ready to
leave for town. My wife was just
pumping air into my ear so that l
could run for my train without getting
out of breath. That IL tie way play
fully refer to her usual parting ad-
mOnitiOnS.
when 1 got home that evening l
found my wife weeping in the midst of
our OlSuldubicu HOlnc IHdt OEtdulul
old villain, Wenner, said she, hasn't
kept his word. He's moved only about
half our things
WELL said I, that's all right: he'll
come again tomorrow and get the
rest. Let's have some dinner and try
to forget onr sorrows
''She looked at me rather strangely.
but made no objection. She put the
dinner on the table-for we had sent
our girl away-and we sat down to eat.
While we were thus more or less pleas
antly engaged, my wifes sister an