Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-11-15

pedimentS from about the stove legs, .
it remains fact that the very first
boost sent She whol" procession
carccring rocSiiy across the shed
floor, the stove >urging and topping
and Mr. Wigglc>worth's vcrtehra send |.
ing forth a crcahing noise that was
OminOus
Pat it down" he granted as loud
as his bent position would admit.
" What you trying to do anyway" /
he clustered as he Strengthened up
and elared at his assistants. Want
to snap me in two?"
at seemed to come itself" painted
Mrs. Wigglesworth looking at the
stove.
"Coursc il did" retorted Mr.. Wig
ellsworth scornfully. Leave it
alone. and it would waltz clean into
the parlor pro'bly, stick its pipe in the
chimney and so to smoking. Great
stove, that" he added and then
stopped few minutes to grin over the
unexpected Joke he'd made.
Now ketch hold again." he Or
dered, and this time he took the
lighter end himself. while Mrs. Wig
ellsworth and lmogene tugged with
freshened zeal at the opposite ex-
tremity.
Across the cluttered shed floor
they went slowly shuilling, their heels
occasionally catching against things
and threatening disaster, while Wrs.
Wigglesworth, whose tender hands
were lacerated, dropped hot tears from
her bullying eyes and occasionally
hoisted up sob.
What you bellering at?" pulled
Mr.. Wigglesworth testify. Don't
you know any better than to cry all
over a cast iron stove and rust! Great
household economizer, you are!"
Then they came to the step that
rises from the shed to the kitchen
door, and Mr.. Wigglesworth, by virtue
OF bearing the lighter end, essayed to
take this backward.
Careful, now" he shouted as the
hired girl, in proof that she was not
exhausted, gave an energetic shove.
"Iou amt washing dishes this time.
Be little easier!"
Then he stepped gingerly upward,
and his female coadjutors trailed at.
terward.
Lift! Why don't you lift?" he
shouted as the effort of stepping up
ward communicated unexpected
weight to his burden. think I'm
going to do all-woww
The concluding remark was forced
out OF him suddenly, as the bung
leaves fermented beer key, by the
unexpected enthusiasm of the hired
girl, who, giving shoulder, grandly
sent the stove full into Mr.. Wiggles.
worth's stomach and pinned that gen.
tleman against the kitchen door just
as the woman who lives across the
way opened it. She had come in to
borrow an unused egg, and hearing
voices in the shed came out to investi-
gate. From her account, which is the
clearest, the neighbors learned how,
when the door fell open, Mr.. Wiggles-
worth shot suddenly into the back
entry and plunged his shoulders under
the refrigerator, while the parlor
stove, following closely after, sat itself
cozily down upon his legs and so kept
him from kicking holes in the plaster
ing.
But it was awful" shuddered the
woman who lives across the way, to
stand there and hear the things that
Mr.. Wigglesworth was saying, though
you couldn't exactly hear them either,
for his head was under the refriger-
ator, and all the sounds were muffled
as they came through the zinc lining
l don't know what we would have
done if the iceman hadn't come in
just then and pulled the stove off Mr..
Wigglesworth."
And shaking her head she passed
through the crowd of neighbors, bear
ing the borrowed egg carefully in her
hand.