The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-01-21

.Oney, and he often spent it f~oolishly.
AS he walked along the suburban
streets this sharp winters night he
was rejecting on the folly of spending
money on a fur coat. He was wearing
the coat, Il magnificent affair Of beaver,
trimmed with sealskin.
II don't need this coat any more
than a pig needs Il side picket. It's too
hot for comfort in the city, even on
this cold night. and I'd carry it over
my arm only that l would feel all the
more how absurdly heavy it is"
Then he looked ahead through the
thickly failing snow. and although he
was a man of strong nerves. he started
and stepped back like a woman who
meets Il COW.
"Jimminy Christmas!' he exclaimed.
The sight he saw was strange enough
in itself; seen in the sQualid, common
place suburban street it was beWilder-
ing. There ahead of him walked Me
~Dhistopheles. dressed in q red flannel
suit with yellow trimmings, all peaks
and points. And on the head of Me
D~histopheles was an old, much-worn
felt hat.
Wetherbee caugh Mephistopheles by
the shoulder and turned him around.
He was Il slight. understood man Of
perhaps fifty. whose muStache was
dyed an impossible black and served
only to accentUate the meager COM
of his features.
"Who are you!' demanded Wether-
bee.
"Sh-h-h!' said the shivering figure,
''let me go. I'm Mahatta.'
Wetherbee stared at him in amaze
ment. Was the man crazy or a walk
ing advertisement for some fakir?
Its all right, let me go. I'm Ma
hatta, the a%strologer, the disciple of
black art. Why. don't you know? My
office is in Wood street.
Wetherbee had p dim remembrance
that there was a Wood street through
which he had passed and also of il
gaudily painted shanty covered with
the signs of the zodiac.
MY office got afire this morning
from the bakers next door, explained
Mahatta, land | had to light out owe
the back fence. Them people in that
neighborhood is mostly superstitious,
They amt got no idea of ~astrology.
They don't know it's a science, and if
they seen me drove on by Il common
ordinary fire they'd think l was no
sort of an astrOloger. So | got out
quiet"
His teeth chartered so that he made
ten syllables GU of quiet
They don't understand the science
of it," he continued, land the fire got
at nv store clothes before | knew it.
SO | had TO get out mighty quick. Now,
jest let me go home, will you? This
here flannel shirt amt no fur over
coat"
tTAtI,Np.1nn' aAnt 90 off mic Chn1J1
ders in q minute. Put this on," he
said.
"Confound your as the man resisted,
put it on"
The %astrologer slipped into the coat
with Il gasp of relief.
"Crickety," he cried, 'but l was
freezing"
do you live far from here?' Weth.
erbee inquired.
Just a bit up the street. I'm almost
home now" replied Mahatta, his teeth
still chattering.
As they walked along the road the
! astrologer told his tale, He had beer
in the ~aStr0logy business for thirty
years. had travelled with Barnum ant
had Il gypsy tent in museums, but i
barely yielded him Il living. Yet ht
had, by rigorous economy been able L
save enough money to build him {
house.
Elegant house, sir" he said. mo
what You may call large. but it's al
elegant house. l got the design out OF
a 1O-cent builders book, sir. There
amt no use trying to do things cheal
when you're building Il house."
But his joy in his house was coun
tc~rbalancc by his grief at the loss OF
his office" He had rented Il patch OF
ground and had erected the ''otiice" Il
his own expense. Five hundred dol
lars he had expended on that modes.
structure.
No; he had not insured it. and now
the bakers bad caught fire ard burned
it up along with his best suit on store
clothes; his only suit, ?. he owned
after Il minutes hesitation.
After ten minutes walk they arrived
Mt Mahatta's house 1t was the sort o.
n house that might emanute from {
10-ccnt book, with plenty OF ginger
bread work about it. As they stood ol
the porch nothing would do hut his new
friend must core IN and warm himself
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