Smyrna times., 1896-05-27
A MOVING DAY EPISODE.
BY EDWIN AUSTIN OLIVER.

unlucky.
''Well, 1 guess you would think we
ire lucky to get moved at all if you
knew the trouble L had to get a truck
man," replied Mr.. BancOn, without
raising his eyes from his morning
paper.
'But everybody knows Friday is
such fearfully unlucky day. Can L
believe my eyes! Robert BacOn!" ex-
claimed the lady, glancing out Of the
window and almost dropping load of
dishes at the same time. ''Do yo see
the number on that truck at the door
No. 1872
''Well, if it had been No. 12, dear, we
never would have gotten it, for it was
the last one to be found on the street. "
"Oho, dear! I know something
dreadful will happen, to-day"
'Well, if something doesn't happen
we won't get moved, that's sure"
''You'll caution the men to be extra
careful, won't you, Roberto"
'Won't be much use, 1 guess.
sI hope none of the helpers are
cross-eyed."
Il don't know but that a crOss-eyed
truckman would be a good thing to
have about the house. He might get
some things in their right places. A
square-eyed one never does"
"Its no Joking matter, Robert Ba-
CON-" said the superstitiOus lady,
stopping to pick up pin.
eff that only happened to be a
safety-pin, dear, 1 guess everything
would be all right" said her husband
trying to be funny.
Bring out those salt-cellars, Robert,
will you?"
Certainly, madam"
''No, on second thought, 1 guess I'd
better carry them out myself; you
might spill the salt
Mr.. Bacon finished his reading and
started out to inspect the kind of eyes
the truckmen had brought around with
them. He got the men to work in
short order, and after considerable
running, and lifting, and crowding,
and trying, the first load was ready to
leave for the new residence half mile
away. Off started the truck with Ba-
con seated by the side of the driver, a
cigar in his mouth, parrots cage in
one hand, a canary's cage in the other,
and look somewhat akin to anxiety
on his face.
The busy day wore on, and it wa
afternoon before any accident happened.
"Jennie, DEAR" said Bacon, after re-
turning from a trip to the new house,
GIVE bad news for you"
81 knew it!' shouted the little
woman, wringing her hands and becom-
ing hysterical. 81 knew it! Friday
Cross-eyed man! Truck No. 10! What
else could you expect?"
''Be calm, dear, be calm"
Chow can 1 be calm? Why DOM
you tell what's happened? Why DOM
you tell what's happened? The par
rott's got out of his cage! My china''
smashed in in a thousand pieces! The
canary's dead! What is it? Why
don't you speak?"
''I will if you'll give me chance
DEAR
"Chance? Haven'tyou got chance
Tell me quick what's happened!'
: GIVE broken the looking-glass ol
the old mahogany bureau"
81 knew it," I knew It'll A broker
looking-glass! Nothing could be worse
, Robert, I'll never live throughou
? this dayl Why did you insist upol
: moving to-day?"
''I didn't insist, dear it was tn
landlord who insisted"
e ''Is the glass badly broken, Robert?
b SIN about dozen pieces"
e "And it was dear Uncle Benjamin s
e I wouldn't have had anything happe
Q to it for a great deal!"
. ''Well, it's done, dear, and there
: no use in crying over broken glass;"
e "What did you do with it?"
f ''I put the frame and the pieces i
J, the bottom of the drawer of the bureau
v "Can it be fxed?"
Y ''We can have new glass put in til
v frame"
a ''Poor Uncle Benjamin. Whs
" would he say if he were alive an
e knew we were so careless with thG
It piece of furniture he thought so muc
n of?'a
II "Well, from all have heard aboU
d your uncle, L should say ne woul
IS have thought he had been made banl
1t rupt if he had seen it broken. He ws
IS very close, wasn't he?"
.e "Well, he was frugal
v Wasn't it fact that he was nev,
known to spend dollar all at once
,e his life?'
it ''No, don't think that is so; but
l. did love money"
e Well, it was an eventful day in I'll
,e life of the Bacons; but they did mai
1t age to get all their things into the ne
W residence before sundown, and, no
d withstanding Mrs Bacon's fears an
re expectations, the only thing broken
ii excepting, perhaps, one of the Con
II mandments-was the looking-glas
to That the glass was broken was to !
n regretted, for the bureau had been
al the Bacon family for 10 years, ev
m since Uncle Benjamin died. 1t had
d prominent place in the best sleepin
of room in the house, and was, indeed,
d, handsome piece of antique furnitur
at 1t had always been mystery
Robert Bacon how it came into IL
n possession of his wiie's penuriol
a. uncle. He knew he was too mean
ir spend the amount of money on it twhi,
re it must have cost originally.
o. A week passed, and the Bacons we
it, pretty we'll to rights. One day tn
lie were putting up the curtains.
It ''For goodness sake, RobertW e
n claimed the wife; don't for your Ii
ID walk under that ladder TITS the won
ID possible omenl''
elf ''But, my dear, can't get the han