The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-10-14

good girl, as girls go, but she had
previously worked in restaurant,
where she had acquired the habit of
kicking the lower panel of the door she
wished to open.
Wadley pried the hinges off with his
hammer and then picked out the
screws. THAT will save buying new
ones" he said. 81 believe l can make
the old hinges do, too"
didn't you get hinges when you got
the door?'' asked his wife. "Well, for
the lands sake! What are you doing
now, Albert?"
I'm measuring the door," answered
Wadley. "By the way. guess you'd bet
ter begin to time me. What time is it?''
"Half past two. But, look here. Al
bert. Let me give you hint, if you
don't mind"
"Well, what is it? Hurry up, now;
you're keeping me waiting"
"The old door is just a fit, SO why not
lay it down on top of the new one for
pattern and mark it off? You're sure
to get it right that way"
"'Use it for pattern!" repeated
Wadley, scornfully. Pm not making
shirt waist, I'm hanging door. See
here, figures can't lie, can they? Tke
opening is just two feet six inches by
six feet six inches. Now, if cut that
door down to that size it's going to fit,
isn't it?"
II suppose it WILL" said Mrs. Wad-
ley, obviously, "but think l should do
it the way said"
Mrs. Wadley rose and went into the
house, and Wadley, having marked the
screen, laid it on the porch and began
to saw. 1t was hard work, for the
screen was considerably larger than
the porch was wide and it overbalanced
at every downward stroke. 1t was too
wide for him to straddle, and he had
to lean over it in a fatiguing position.
When Mrs. Wadley returned his saw
had bitten about an inch and half
into the screen and he was perspiring
freely. She watched him for a min
ute or two and then suggested that she
stand on the end of the door and steady
it while he sawed. Presently she in
formed him that the saw was stray
ing from the straight and narrow path
indicated by the pencil, and Wadley,
after an Intellectual effort to bring it
back, stopped and wiped his brow with
the sleeve of his shirt.
''If / only had saw that was some
good" he said.
There's the meat saw" suggested
Mrs. Wadley, hesitatingly.
Her husband looked at her sharply,
but it was evident that she had spoken
in good faith, and he contented himself
with saying that he didn't believe the
meat saw would do. II guess I'll have
to start again from the other side," he
continued. II wasn't watching the
thing as closely as I ought to have
DONE"
| This time he hewed pretty closely to
the line, but the saw began to work
harder and harder, and by the time it
had got its own width into the wood it
stuck fast and obstinately refused to
go any further. ut needs greasing,"
said Wadley, and he procured the vase
line bottle and smeared the saw plen-
teously. 1t travelled well for another
inch and then stuck again.
II think" said Mrs. Wadley, shat
# you put wedge in the end where
you've sawed it will be all right. Here,
I'll show you what mean"
She pressed nail into the cleft and
the saw sprung forward with renewed
vigor until it met the first cut and the
strip fell to the ground.
"There!" said Wadley; 'that's all
right so far. give you credit for it,
though. Where did you learn carpen-
tering?"
His wife looked gratified. II know
| a little" she said. "You don't often tell
me so, though. Now, you've got the
other to do, haven't you? Do you want
me to help you?"
There isn't much to come off on the
side," said Wadley, ''but you can hold
it up while plane it. Steady now!
Hold it down. woman, hold it down.
What makes it go all to one side, that
way? Oh, thunder? It's going to take
all the afternoon to trim it down to
where we want it this way. Here, Ill
tell you. Bring me the butcher knife
He took the knife and cut off some
generous shavings, bending over from
time to time to make sure that he was
not encroaching on the boundary
About half way the grain of the wood
took curve and he scooped out half an
inch of territory that he didn't want
J and Mrs. Wadley let go the door and
put her fingers in her ears. When he
grew calmer he said that he didn't be-
lieve fly could get in, anyway, unless
ii was a very small fly, and he ultimate
. ly worked his way down to the END
without any further accident. 1t was
, a rather wavery and undulating job
but Wadley said he was not particular