The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-02-16
AN UMBRELLA.
It Tells Some Interesting Rem
ipiScenceS of Its Life

Lying here on the nOOr of a closet
my head loose, one of my ribs in
twain and two others mended with a
bootlace, i am no longer the umbrella
i have been But, though my expe-
riences may seem dark, / am not a
cynic- have had my gay moments as
well as my misfortunes- If men have
grumblec at me because / would not
open, sweet words of love have been
whispered beneath my covering; and
if many have owned me- ore has paid
for 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 | have known? The first man
with whom l had any close acquaint-
ance was minister. He came into the
shop where / originally saw the light,
and said that he wanted an um mb-clla
The kind he wanted was a very good
one, of pure silk, and his only stipula-
tion was that il should be as cheap as
alpaca
John" said my maker to his assist
ant, show the gentleman a marquis,
and keep the price down"
1 am marquis, and after trying
thirty-three of US the minister selected
me While he was taking sixpenee off
the price he had a conversation with
my maker, which / did not under
stand at the time, though well know
its meaning now
You are the first minister" said nv
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
young mani. lit seems To me that all
ministers carry umbrellas -
That's another tn ng," says my
maker
''You mean," says the minister, ques-
tioningiy, that we have them pre-
sented to us"
That's delicate way of putting it."
says my maker "I don't think you
have been long a Minister"
NO." says the minister.
After you have been" saws nv
maker, winking to John, ''Tll 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 Il minister, but as il turned ont
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 il rained. The first to leave the
room was the professor, handsome
man of noble counJenance, and when
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, a beau
tiful look still lurking on his benevo-
lent face.
This eminent college professor is No
. of the men i have known, and during
the three weeks in which ] belonged
to him he called me his new umbrella
Once heard his daughter (whose uIn-
brella | should have liked 20 be- ask
him why he took me everywhere ex-
CeDI 10 NhC roc'A oAu
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 l
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
mo he vary iu1ara nf one i lost
at the college the other day"
The professor was standing by, tell
ing his guests as they came in, one by
one, that ii had been a frosty day, and
when he heard this remark about me
he said in his kindly voice that one un-
brella is very like another.
..You students he added, ought to
be more careful about your umbrellas
/ am constantly hearing complaints
about their going astray-"
Then ne 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 see of my
first owner, but it was not SO. The
daughter of the house. to whom have
already referred, had overheard the
talk about ME, and 1 saw her at The
the student was going she came to the
door with him. and 1 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, muttcring something about pa
pas being very absent-minded Thus
| was restored To the student, but only
for a brief space
On the following Friday afternoon he
tool. 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 sigh of another UNI
brella with an ebony handle, the owner
of which was also student He COM
pared US for moment, felt the ma
terials and finally went off with the
other one. When its owner could not
find it he said that was the next best
and half an hour afterwards 1 was
standing in "a corner of his room
Hardly can this gentleman be included
among the men / have known, for he
vanished from my sight, or i vanished
from his. on the following evening. On
that evening 4 friend called on him, a
gentleman in light suit and a white
hat, with mean mustache and fool
lish expression of countenance-a
maker of pipes. as 1 gathered from the
conversation. 1t was a fine evening
when he called, but not when iIe got
up To go; and not having an umbrella
he was distressed lest his hat should
suffer.
Can you not lend me an umbrella?"
he nSl,ed. hut my new owner shook his