The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-27
SAWED THE HOUSE IN TWO.

The Equitable Division of a Cottage
Owned Jointly by Two Chicago
Men.
Recently Alderman William T. May
pole and his family and John Lyke and
his family occupied the same cottage
on the Ingleside shore of Fox Lake.
Each occupied half the structure
Each still occupies a half
A few mornings ago Mr.. Lyke was
awakened by the rip. rip of a big saw,
and a stream of sawdust fell on the
Turkish rug in the center of the floor.
The worthy man looked up and saw q
! thin line of daylight along the middle
of the ceiling and through the aperture
was working the flashing blade of a
saw.
Two or three seasons ago Alderman
Maypole and Mr.. Lyke, also a Chicago
citizen, decided to build cottage at
Fox Lake for their mutual occupation.
| They were great friends, and they
knew it would be pleasanter for both
| if they should pool their interests in the
matter of summer living
The cottage was built, barn, an ice
| house, chicken coops, and all the ne
| cessary buildings for summer home
We're erected, and the joint owners sur
veyed their work with pride.
! The warm weather came and the
| families moved in, each occupying half
of the premises 1T was fine arrange
ment for time. Mrs. Lyke and Mrs.
| Maypole borrowed sugar and raisins of
each other, and the husbands traded
| cigars, which they smoked on the We
randa in the warm evenings. The cot
tage was the first to be built on that
1 side of the lake and they had no neigh
bors to encroach on their privacy.
At first the fact that the Lykes were
of a religious turn Of mind and loved
quiet and Sabbath calm, while the
Maypoles liked dancing and games and
all Joined voices in singing the popular
songs of the day, did not mar the hap
| piness of the flock. The relations were
| cordial and the exchange of cigars and
raisins and laundry soap continued.
In time, however, the likes and dis
likes of the families began to lar
Sometimes Mr.. Lyke and his family
would be tired and retire early. only tc
have their nerves jump in tune te
| "There'l Be a Hot Time in the Ole
Town Tonight" or my Gal Is a High
Bon Lady" And in time, too, there
came gentle suggestions that early
hours and much quiet were best for
city jewellers who We're seeking rest
and health in the country On the 9th.
err hand, there were as covert sugges-
lions that there was no need for per-
sons to be mummies simply because
they were In the rural districts
The rag-time melodies continued tc
make the shore of Fox Lake echo ant
the Lykes continued to retire early anG
court elusive Morpheus or seek the
substance Of Foxs Martyrs at a dis.
lance of fifteen feet from a rousine
chorus, accompanied by piano thai
was working overtime
The thread broke at last and the at.
mosphere about the Maypole-Lyke cot
tage became such that the icehoust
went into disuse. If either side wished
to have ice cream or sherbet for Sun.
day dinner it simply set the mixed in.
gradients on the front porch and in five
minutes the stuff was ready for the ia.
BILE.
Last season Mr. Maypole and his
family left the cottage for the sole use
of the Lykes. They spent the hot
months elsewhere. The alderman
thought long over the proposition, and
as shrewd business man, came to the
conclusion that it was poor policy t.
have vacant property on his hands
| Under this train of thought result
was soon reached, and the next day 6
local carpertering firm sent a force Of
men to Fox Lake with full kit O.
tools. The carpenters waited until thu
gray dawn appeared, and then the!
mounted the roof of the mutual cot
tage.
They began to saw. Rip, rip wen
the blades, and they did not stop unit
they had made halves of the structure
from roof peak to basement. Thel
they began on the barn. That was di
/ vided, and the icehouse and CHECKER
coop suffered a like fate. Not a hair.
breadth from the center of the building
did the carpenters digress. The alder
man was fair man, and he only want
ed his half. Every movable thing OF
the place was sawed in two before tn
workmen ceased their labors.
The halves have been moved a few
feet apart and sided up, and now tn,
Lykes and the Maypoles occupy thei
several portions in peace.-Chicag
Journal.