The midland journal., 1894-01-19
AN UMBRELLA.
It Tells Some Interesting REM
iniscences Of It's Life.

IL Tells Some Interesting Rem-
iniscences Of It's Life.
| Lying here on the floor Of closet,
my head loose, one of my ribs in
twain and two others mended with q
bootlace, am no longer the umbrella
l have been. But, though my expo
riences may seem dark, l am not q
cynic. have had my gay moments as
well as my misfortunes.. If men have
grumbled at me because / would moi
open, sweet words of love have beer
whispered beneath my covering; and
if many have owned me, one has paid
for me. Omitting all reference to my
early years, why should / not now, as
other veterans have done, set down
some "reminiscences of the men and
women have known? The first man
with whom had any close acquaint.
ance was minister. He came into the
shop where l originally saw the light,
and said that he wanted an UNI brella.
The kind he wanted was a very good
one, of pure silk, and his only stipula-
tion was that it should be as cheap as
alpaca.
John" said my maker to his assist
ant, ''show the gentleman marquis,
and keep the price down."
/ am a marquis, and after trying
thirty-three of us the minister selected
me. While he was taking sixpence off
the price he had a conversation with
my maker, which / did not under
stand at the time, though we'll 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 me up very tight (for he was a
young man), lit seems to me that all
ministers carry umbrellas"
"That's another thing" says my
maker.
You mean," says the minister, ques-
tioningly, shat 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 minister?"
''No," says the minister.
after you have been," says my
maker, winking to John, "Pll lose your
custom"
Then my owner and l went off along
the street I 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 /
bought and paid for me- He called
himself a minister, but as it turned out
he was only divinity student, and it
was at the college that we parted.
That was seventeen days after he
bought me, and / can still remember
the affectionate glance he gave me as
he put me into the rack, where there
were about a dozen other umbrellas.
and two sticks with brass knobs. That
day it rained. The first to leave the
room was the professor, a handsome
he saw the rain he turned back to the
rack and looked at the umbrellas. /
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.
Q of the men have known, and during
the three weeks in which belonged
to him he called me his new umbrella.
Once heard his daughter (whose UNI
brella should have liked to be) 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 / set eyes upon
my first owner, and for a moment I
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 lost
at the college the other day."
The professor was standing by, tell
ing his guests as they came in, one by
one, that it had been q frosty day, and
when he heard this remark about me
he said in his kindly voice that one um-
brella is very like another
"You students" he added, sought to
be more careful about your umbrellas
l am constantly hearing complaints
about their going astray."
Then he took them all into his study,
but after little he came out and hid
me behind the hall clock. That, /
thought, was the last would zee of my
first owner, but it was not SO. The
daughter of the house, to whom have
already referred, had overheard tho
talk about me, and saw her at the
time look queerly at her father. When
the student was going she came to the
door with him, and ! heard them say
something about 1.-The usual place at
five o'clock" Then she called him
back, and running to the clock felt for
me with 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 being very absent-minded. Thus
was restored to the student, but only
for brief space.
On the following Friday afternoon he
took me to the class again, and once
more the professor was first to leave.
His eyes lighted up when he saw me,
and he half drew me from the rack.
Then he caught sight of another UNI
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