The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-09-17
HIS HOUSE cor AWAY.

When Pete kissed his wife good-by IN
the morning his little frame house
rested on rollers. The housemover's
gang was hitching clanking chains to
the heavy square timbers, and the
brown horse with detected droop To
his long head was ready to circle around
the capstan and haul Pete's cottage in
to 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. III
| pick you up six blocks south tonight
.Sure thing" replied the house mover
10 Pete's inquiry. "ghis is dead easy
job. You'll find your house in the mid
die 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 n cheerful mood. The elevated rail-
road 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 a lot cheap
| in a new street, half mile nearer the
foundry. two blocks from a school, and
| with church just around the corner.
Taking it all in all, Pete considered he
had made good bargain.
During the day Pete's thoughts were
on the littlewhite cottage, with its clean
muslin sash curtains and light-green
shutters, slowly travelling down the
street. He could almost see Mary anx-
iossly noting progress through the win
| dows, and the children, wild with the
novelty. racing and tearing around.
Every molder on the floor knew that
Fete's house was on the move. They
discussed THE matter while grouped
around the eupola waiting for the iron
to run. They were full of suggestions.
ard Pete received the benefit of the con-
cenfratea advice of 80 Sympathetic men.
The foreman CAGE had passed through
the hcuse-znoving experience. and, as
he was the foreman and as his house
was tsEu-story brick. his advice was
regarded as weighty and his sugges.
tons treasured as words of great value.
After Pete had filed and emptied his
laale dozen times and had washed up
he started Eaerrily TO find his home.
When he arrived as the corner where he
expected 20 meet his cottage, none APP
l psared- Pete looked north and south
through the dusk. but as far as he could
see the street was clear. A policeman
happened clong.
Say, officer exclaimed Pete. shave
you seen a one-story frame cottage go
by here to-day"
The policeman stared at Pete for n
second. then replied gruffly: ''What'er
you givin' me?''
That's straight" said Pete, with en-
ergy. They're moving my house. 1t
ought to be here. but it amt"
The policeman grew sympathetic at
once. I've 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 n house perched on rollers in the
middle of the street, but it was not his
house. He clambered over the timbers,
chains. and skids 10 the front door, for
the steps had been amputated.
A woman with hand lamp answered
| the knock.
Have you seen one-story frame cot
tage, white. with green shutters, and a
little woman with brown hair go by this
way?" asked Pete, hurriedly.
The woman shook her head
NO." said she. Were moyin', too
My man hasn't got home yet. Maybe
he's hunting for me, too" and she gig
| gled, Historically.
Pete gave her no comfort, but sprang
to the ground. Near the house was a
grocery, and there Pete inquired for his
house. Noone had seen it,
'Pshawl" said Pete. Its a light
house, and those house-movers have got
Il on the lot"
/ He almost ran to the new site and
| found it vacant He had spent an hour
| searching for the white cottage aud
Mary. He had asked so persons il they
had seen white, one-story cottage on
a tour. and now he seated himself OF
the edge of the sidewalk in front OF the
new lot he had bought and tried to pull
himself together. He could not under
stand ii. He could think of no Other
path over which the house might travel
/ Suddenly a new idea struck him
The fire department has made then
pull the house into a vacant lot so as not
TO block the street. I'll start from the
beginning, and IL Ldon't find II tonight
i l1lsleep in the woodshed They hayen'i
moved that, anyway, Only Mary viii
be worried
In quarter of an hour he was on the
old familiar sidewalk. As he hurried
along he closely examined every hous,
on both sides of the street. Absorbed
In this. he forgot his whereabouts. aul
he choked aud gulped in surprise wher
he suddenly looked into the windows Of
his own white cottage and saw Mary
with her nose flattened against tn,
glass watching for him. The house haa
not been moved a foot.
Something broke" explained Mary
helping Pete to a heaping plateful o.
liver and bacon. "and the man will bs
back tomorrow. Chicago Record.