The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-31
THE MOVING HOUSE.

When Pete kissed his wife goodby in the
morning, his little frame house rested on
rollers. The house movers gang was hitch
ing clanking chains to the heavy square
timbers, and the brown horse with "a do
jected droop to mis- long head was ready to
circle around the capstan and haul Pete's
cottage into the street.
Don't you worry bit, Mary" said
Pete as he picked up his dinner pail. "The
house mover told me that not an inch of
plaster would fall. So long. I'll pick you
up six blocks south tonight
"Sure thing" replied the house mover
to Peters inquiry. "This is dead easy
job. You'll find your house in the middle
of the street six blocks down there tonight
and your wife and Kids all o. x
Pete was an iron molder, and the foun-
dry where he worked was a good hours
walk from home. He went to his bench in
cheerful mood The elevated railroad
company had paid him good, stiff price
for his lot, and had offered to move his
house free of expense to him. Pete took
the money and bought lot cheap in a
new street. half mile nearer the foundry,
two blocks from a school and with a
church just around the corner. Taking it
all in all, Pete considered he had made a
good bargain.
OuGl1S bu0 06y 60GS buOU5ubS W6T0 OA
the little white cottage, with it's clean
muslin sash curtains and light green shut
ters, slowly travelling down the street. He
could almost see Mary anxiously noting
progress through the windows, and the
children, wild with the novelty, racing
| and tearing around Every molder on the
floor knew that Pete's house was on the
| move. They discussed the matter while
grouped around the cupola waiting for
the iron to run. They were full of sug
gestions, and Pete received the benefit of
the concentrated advice of 90 sympathetic
men. The foreman once had passed
through the house moving experience,
| and, as he was the foreman and as his house
| was a two story brick, his advice was re-
garded as weighty and his suggestions
treasured as words of great value.
After Pete had filed and emptied his
| ladIe a dozen times and had washed up he
started merrily to find his home. When he
arrived at the corner where he expected to
meet his cottage none appeared. Pete
| looked north and south through the dusk,
but as far as he could see the street was
clear A policeman happened along.
| Say, officer" exclaimed Pete, "have
you seen a'one story white frame cottage
| go by here today?''
The policeman stared at Pete for Sec
ond, then replied grufay, "What 'er you
givin me?''
tThat's straight" said Pete, with ener-
gy. They're moving my house. It ought
to be here, but it amt"
The policeman grew sympathetic at
once. tive seen no house movin, but
there's some red lights over there two
| blocks. Mebbe it's your house."
Pete hurried for the red lights. 1t was
a house perched on rollers in the middle
of the street, but it was not his house. He
| clambered over timbers, chains and skids
to the front door, for the steps had been
| amputated.
A woman with a hand lamp answered
the knock.
"Have you seen a one story frame cot
tage, white, with green shutters, and a lit
tie woman with brown hair go by this
way today?" asked Pete hurriedly.
The woman shook her head.
mo- said she. "Were movin too. 1<S
man hasn't got home yet either. Maybe
he's hunting for me, too, )" and she giggled
Historically.
Pete gave her no comfort, but sprang tc
the ground. Near the house was q grocery,
and there Peter inquired for his house.
No one had seen it.
sPshawr' said Pete. tIt's a light
house, and those house movers have got
| it in on the lot"
He almost ran to the new site and
found it vacant. He had spent an hour
searching for the white cottage and Mary.
He had asked so persons il they had seen
white one story cottage on a tour, and
now he seated himself on the edge of the
| sidewalk in front of the new lot he had
bought and tried to pull himself together.
He could not understand it. He could
think of no other path over which the
house might travel.
Suddenly new idea struck him. "Tht
fire department has made them pull the
house into vacant lot SO as not to block
the street. I'll start from the beginning
and if don't find it tonight I'll sleep il
the woodshed. They haven't moved thai
anyway. Only Mary will be worried"
In a quarter of an hour he was on tht
old familiar sidewalk. As he hurried along
he closely examined every house on boil
sides of the street. Absorbed in this, he for
got his whereabouts, and he choked anC
gulped in surprise when he suddenly look
ed into the windows of his own white
cottage and saw Mary with her nose fiat
tened against the glass watching for him
The house lad not been moved foot.
Something broke explained Mary
helping Pete to a heaping plateful of live
and bacon, land the man will be back to
ID orrow ''-Cincinnati Record.
| Cycling Costumes.