Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-09-01
A JOKE THAT FAILED.
Story of the Adventure of Bookworm
and His Funny Friends.

and His Funny Friends.
Harding worked in a bank. By
inclination he was bookworm, also
by occupation. In common with
many other bookworms his chief
complaint was that he did not have
enough money to give his collecting
instincts free play.
There was Mrs. Harding.
Her principal complaint was that
so much of Harding's money went
for books
Quite recently that person who
crept into the ark under cover of
darkness--to wit, one book agent
made his appearance at Hardings
Office. He had whole lot of books,
/ and Harding wanted most Of them
The argument was that "you only
have to pay so cents week, and as
soon as you make the first payment
you get the books Only so many
of this edition to be printed, and in
six months your copy will be worth
twice what you pay for it.
So Harding decided to buy an edi-
ton of Dumas and an edition of Vic
tor Hugo He paid his first INSTALL
ment down, and the next day the
! books were delivered at the bank.
The agent remarked that he would
have the books sent to Harding's
house in Brooklyn if he so desired,
but Harding declared that for GER
tain reasons he would rather have
them sent to the bank. Of course
everybody in the bank knew why.
"I'll just take Victor Hugo home
tonight he said, land see how
Mrs. Harding likes him."
Victor Hugo went to Brooklyn
last night, and the latest reports
were that Mrs. Harding didn't like
him at all. In fact, Harding said
the next day that he really had new
or seen any one so provoked in all
his life as Mrs. Harding was when
she heard that the money that
should have bought dresses for the
| S1Ilo 1ldu SOuS LUZ EUOOhS.
"I'll just have these books of Du-
mas kept here for few days" add
ed Harding, "and let Mrs. Harding
get over Hugo before I show her
Dumas"
The books were packed away.
They made quite a respectable bun
die and weighed good deal.
/. A week passed, and Harding an
nounced with great glee that he had
b1oached the subject to Mrs. Hard
ing and that she had forgiven him
for spending the money on Dumas
as she had forgiven him the Victor
Hugo purchase.
"I'll take them home tonight, he
announced, and an hour or so later
he went out for luncheon.
While he was away the spirit of
evil entered into some of the other
clerks, and they substituted in the
! package for the books a number of
large bricks and many newspapers.
The books they stored away in a
desk, and then they told every body
else what they had done.
The whole Office rejoiced to see
Harding bending double under his
load of books that afternoon and
speculated on what Harding and
Mrs. Harding would say and do and
think when the package was opened
in Brooklyn that night.
The next morning the whole force
was on hand early to laugh at Hard
ing, and when he arrived the pre-
liminary outlaws were enjoyed, but
Harding looked sad, so there was
not much laughing.
What's the matter, old man2'
asked his dearest friend, the one
who had substituted the bricks.
II never saw such man for hard
luck answered Harding. "You
know that edition of Dumasl''
eyes. What of itf"
"Well, had my wife reconciled
to my spending the money for the
books, and Saturday night l took
them home. 1 got on the elevated
over in Brooklyn, and the guard
wouldn't let me take the package
into the car. left it on the plat
form and took my eyes off it for two
minutes, and some COMPOUNDED thief
walked off with it. New York
Sun.
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