The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-01-26
MAC CRossoN's CRADLE.
A Tale OF Phoebe in The EARLY Daya
When People Were Less Aristo-
cratic Than Now.

In the early days of Phoebe long be.
fore the expectation of the incoming rail
road was the all absorbing topic, as it is
at the present day, and when dwellings
had not assumed that aristocratic APP
pearanee that now marks the town,
the nobility had squatted in the delight.
full suburb of Panaea Flat.
In shanty composed principally of
store boxes, through which the gentle
zephyrs whistled in harmony with the
rumble of hosting works, lived family
of the name of MacCrosson, consisting
of husband, wife, mother.in law and
newly arrived addition in the shape of
pair of healthy robust twins. Macs
taste individually did not run in the line
of Juveniles and he had decided prefer
ence to hear their beauty extolled in pc.
etical effusion than have ocular demon.
strations of their sweet winning ways.
During the convalescence of Mrs. Mac,
what between his mother.in- law, the
nurse and the twins, Mac underwent
mental martyrdom. 1t was magnifi-
cent opportunity for the aged relative to
retaliate upon Mac for any fancied slight
and she seldom let slip any opportunity
to give him the supreme benefit of her
experience. Mac bore the abuse heaped
upon him with the meekness of a saint
and under the benediction would sit
quietly and grind his teeth. As soon
as Mrs. Mac was able to be around she
visited all her neighbors and gave free
gratis exhibition of the twins. Happen
ing one day at the house Of neighbor,
she was shown a child's crib, termed q
patent economical space crib, especially
designed for the use of families of limited
means and space. Its general utility
consisted in not occupying any portion of
the floor when required for other pur.
poses, for by means of rope attached to
a pulley in the ceiling it could at any
time be hoisted to the top of the room,
and not only being out of the way it
afforded the inmates an opportunity of
taking birds eye view of and becoming
conversant with what was transporting
below.
Mrs. Mac was at once fascinated with
the continuance, mentally resolved that
the twins should not be behind her neigh
bors, children in occupying an elevat-
ed position in society, and she returned
home brim full of the new invention.
Her means precluded all thoughts of
purchase and she suggested to Mac that
as he always professed to be mechani-
cal genius it would not be a great strain
upon his inventive faculties to construct
one, and forthwith proceeded to describe
the patent in all its minuta Mac asked
her if she wanted it plain or ornamental,
and was answered by his mothsr.in- law
that in her opinion it ought to be most
decidedly plain as the twins were orna-
mental enough to set off any piece of
furniture. Next morning Mac posted
down town and secured dry goods box
without any bottom, remembering that at
home they had an empty -four barrel
that would just be the thing for Stats and
would look more artistic than a fiat
bottom. In due time the crib was COM
plete and Mrs. Mac and her mother de-
cided that with the addition of coat or
two of paint it would answer every pur.
pose. The pulley was affixed to the
ceiling and the rope adjusted and as Mac
was about to raise the crib his wife sug.
gested that the neighbors should witness
the ascension. All being ready the twins
were comfortably tucked in the crib and
at signal from Mrs. Mac the box slow
ly wendell its way to the ceiling. The
crib arrived at its destination, when a
cracking noise arrested their attention
and to their horror they perceived the
barrel slaves giving away and the twins
making quick time for the floor. Mrs.
Mac tainted, some of the neighbors rush.
ed out hollering fire, whilst others picked
up the twins from the debris and luckily
were found to be unhurt. Mrs. Macs
mother in describing the occurrence to a
neighbor says she was never so scared
since her last husband died and she fully
expected that every minute would have
been her next. As for Mac he suddenly
remembered he had some assessment
work that required doing Immediately if
not sooner and lit out to do it.
E. r.