The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-02-16
AN UMDnELLA.
It Tells Some Interesting REM
ipiScenceS Of It's Life.

twain and two others mended with a
bootlace, am no longer the umbrella
! have been. But, though my eXpe-
rlences may seem dark, l am not a
cynic. / have had my gay moments as
well as my misfortunes If men have
grumblec at mc because / would not
open, sweet words Of love have been
whispered beneath my covering; and
IF many have owned me, ore has paid
Tor me. Omitting all reference to my
early years, why should / not now, as
other reterans have done, set down
some "reminiscences of the men and
women l have known? The first man
with whom l had any close acoraint-
ance was minister. He cam0 into the
shop where l originally saw the light,
and said that he wanted an umbrella.
The kind he wanted was very good
one, of pure silk, and his only stipula-
ton was that it should be as cheap as
alpaca.
john" said my maker to his assist
ant, 'show the gentleman a marquis,
and keep the price down"
| am marquis, and after trying
thirty-threc Of US the minister selected
me. While he was taking sixpencc off
the price he had conversation with
my maker, which | did not under
stand at the time, though well l know
its meaning now.
You are the first minister" said my
maker, who has bought an umbrella
to my knowledge for the last nine
MONTHS
Why" said my new owner, as he
rolled Inc up very tight (for he was a
young mani, 1T seems to me that all
ministers carry umbrellas
That's another tn n.y." says my
maker.
You mean," says the minister, ques
tioningly, that we have them pre-
sented to u.s."
That's delicate way of putting it"
says my maker 81 don't think you
have been long q minister"
''No," says the minister.
"Aftcr you have been,'' says my
maker, winking to John, CPL lose your
custom"
Then my owner and went off along
the street | have nothing to say
against him, except that he took me off
in fine weather, always keeping me
tightly rolled UP, and he spent hours in
his lodgings trying to roll me tighter.
don't know that any of my owners
loved me as this first one did, and
think the reason was because he alone
bought and paid for me. He called
himself a minister, but as it turned out
no III tn CT nd
was at the college that we parted.
That was seventeen days after he
bought me, and / can still remember
the a1fcctionate glance he gave me as
he put me into the rack, where there
were about q dozen other um bre..as,
and two sticks with brass knots. That
day it raincd. The first to leave the
room was the professor, a handsome
man OF noble counJcnance. and when
he saw the rain he turned back to the
rack and looked at the um brellas. l
was the best, SO, after looking at the
others, he picked me out, put me up
and walked home beneath me, beau
tiful look still lurking on his benevo-
lent face.
This eminent college professor is No.
2 of the men / have known, and during
the three weeks in which ] belonged
to him he called me his new um brella
Once l heard his daughter (whose UNI
brella | should have liked 20 bel ask
him why he took me everywhere ex-
cept to college, and the good old man
replied that the students were given to
taking away other peoples umbrellas.
Once during this time L set eyes upon
my first owner, and for moment /
thought | was to be restored to him.
He and some other students came to
the house TO tea, and when he saw me
in the professors rack he exclaimed.
THAT umbrella" he said, pointing
to me, SIS the very image of one 1 lost
at the college the other day"
The professor was standing bv, tell
ing his guests as they came in, one by
one, that it had been a frosty cay, and
when he heard this remark about ME
he said in his kindly voice that one UNI
brella is very like another.
"1ou students" he added, Fought to
be more careful about your umbrellas.
l am constantly hearing complaints
about their golng Gstray."
Then he took them all into his study.
but after II little he came out and hid
me behind the hall clock. That. I
thought. was the last | would see of nv
Irot owner, but it was not SO. The
d.u inter- OF the house. to whom have
already referred, had overheard the
talk "bout nae. and | saw her at he
time loo-; q1ocriy IL her f,.tIec. When
the stu :|At was Guint She came to the
door Wla A,ll, ana i heard them say
something aboGt the usual place at
Ave o'Ioe...' Thon she called him
back. and running to the clock felt for
ne wl:h her hand just as if she knew
that her father often put umbrellas
there. She thrust me into the students
hand, muttering something about pa
pas Icing very absent-minded. Thus
was restored to the student, but only
Tor q brief space
On the following Friday afternoon he
took me to the class again, and once
more the professor was first to leave.
lis eyes lighted up when he saw me,
aad he half drew me from the rack
l. hen he caught sight of another UNI
oretla with an ebony handle, the owner
of which was also a student. He COM
pared us for moment, felt the ma
terials and finally went off with the
other one. When its owner could not
lind 1t he said that was the next best.
and half an hour afterwards I was
Stanolng In corner of his room.
hardly can this gentleman be included
among the men have known, for he
vanished from my sight, or vanished
from his, on the following evening. On
that evening friend called on him a
gentleman in light suit and a white