The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-07-13
AN OLD CONUNDRUM.
nNLD MIR. BAUER" he /. called In
II Al l.. l.. 81. -


Those who have seen the rather dog.eared
business cards upon which the landlord aud
owner in fee simple Of $40 sometimes makes
memoranda know tina, MoritE Bauer was
al oae time deaicr In foreign and domestic
oiEars, hut that was ling tune ago. lie 10
retired now, and devotes himat'f 70 the col.
lection Of bis rents and 10 keeping the house
In order. 1aesc occupations, with the eul
tlyation Of about ten squire yards Of ground
In the bach yard and an inclosed patch OF
turf In front. With the care Of sundry house
plants and vines. keep him pretty busiy I'm
pioyrd during the working hours Of the day.
AZ far as the collection Of rcuts Ia con.
ecrned, old Mr.. Bauer is not a. street a. he
might DC, though this Is not generally
known, and the nightly Eosiperu Al Colt
fricd's saloon often wonder what be does
with his money. After Pete Mallory was
killed by the blast in the water main extern
nion old Mr. Bauer kept Mira Mallory aud
the little MsiloFys for nearly year IN their
Tooma on the third floor. and " Mira Nal.
lory paid her rent shcFc was no occasion for
her 10 weep and try 10 Kiss Mr. Rauer's
gnar'cd old fist when she went away 10 keep
house for her cousin. There were other in.
stances also where families 10 arrears hsd
been forgiven their rent. snd there Is
case 81 the same kind 10 the houAe 10 day.
There is one thing rather remarkable about
the ex-cigar dealer. lie seems TO dislike chill.
dren, avoiding them - much as possible and
rcproyinR them when they clalter too noisily
up and down the Stair or invade the rAcrrd
precincts ol the back yard or the from, grass
plat. II Ia remarkable, because old Mr..
Bauer j. no, bachelor, hut A widowor, and
up in his room over the iron beds,cnd there
hang, a picture Of his wife aud child
Il Is faded picture hut il seems a. u It
were perfectly natural Tor the woman at
least To he faded You cannot tell much
about her. She has fat cyprf.soulrss
face and corkscrrw ringlets. and her dress,
even 10 the broad linen collar confined with
n hg oval brooch at the throat, seems TO
have been carved ont oi wood The little
boy has curls too. md rolling lnp knot,
and he Is clutchins al the trousers OF mus-
tarhod man IN the uniform Of a corporal #
jager That was Morris Bauer when he
was wchriarig. aud when bis home vss
NurzhurR
Old Mr. Bauer ia firm believer iu lhcv r.
tues II paint lie has room opening ut
onto the roof over the kitchen, which ia
filled with cans Of paint NJ every iuHgnahie
cosnr, ~ various Seasons be Jnml0a his
tenants TO stack their rhlttcIs 100 he mid
die Of the floor while with a lrHad, fiat
brush aud q can from hI, m1Tr7uc he guea
over walls aud ceiling until The resulting
gloss b. painful 60 a sensitive eye. That IS
one reason why The tenant, pay no higher
rent When the Cd mlu. clad in oycrals
Fmcnrrd with burnt lumber, white lead, yer.
million and blue hrs bead sWa,hrd in q hand
kcrchici. aud hIs Irar somhsr face iiccksd
with paint. Is engaged IN this occupation be
looks as nearly harry IS anyone ever sees
him.
After painting romss The gardening. The
SIde NJ tHr h.u.r u altogether taken w by
the BOARD k, whose rottng substance
also ,Nyrrs most u the AREA Of the yard:
hu' l,Ir,,l the walk and the rear of tho
cottage t-rr Is a spare Of rich black loan
rN,r he old man raises vegetables and
hra.r ~ their season. At tho front there
0. '.. :rasa plat. with it, low railing Of green.
panied wood, sHd from Arbor street TO the
cts limits, not excluding the park. there
Il not another grass plat like Il.
The old man viii have nothing 20 DO with
lawn mowers. He has q scythc hanging in
shr paintronm, and twice q week be lriucs
II down and with a slow, even sweep shsycA
a suprriiuous half an inch or less oi the
gree, pgth. lie deity tuiiches the
point -. fade bet ween the posts If the
fence and between the r1ots OF the spread
Ing cd willow trpet, and when he hss done
no one spear Of grass stands hairs breadth
Afuve another. vt times during the opera.
ton be- will stop, and, drawing q milestone
from his pocket. make Arhcr street echo
with the usIuug. ringing sound ~ be- whisks
II Rack and forth along the scythes edge.
Then there j. the sweeping. acromplishcs
with a birch broom. bought Heaven knows
wherr, and the rolling and the watering and
the grubbing up Of dandehupa.
II IL a lonely life that he leads. The Ger.
man circle at Gottfriehd's knows him not.
No one ever calls to see him and be goes no
where. HE acquaintance with the Oldest
Of his dodgers is slight, and his sonvcvaiion
with most Of them aecurs only once q month
and II concerning rent. YET be 10 extremely
puDci.iiouS IN the matter q saluiation. and
bis ''Root.norning" or "root eicning" is n
ways in the case Of women accompanied 10y
. stiff bow.
In the morning Mrs. MoeTrch always has
cup NJ coffee ard piece Of kuchrn ready Tor
him in the Kitchen. and he sits rieidly w TO
The table and sansumea this rejection IN II,
leHcc, though Minnie Moersch sometimes
chattcrS 20 him during the whole time Min.
biC says that all she can ever get out Of him
Is sol" and an occasional grimAre that
may I've intended for smie Yet Minnie's
confirmation frock, stockings, slippers. hov.
ers aud ell, came to her in a box that bad
one Of Moriiz Baucr's old business cards ia
i, When he las had bis brrsifas, he lights
his first cigar. He has two or three hig ror.
relain pipes with weiciRsl stems, tut no
one has ever seen him smoke one Of them
AZ noon he tales his rattan cane and
walks down TO the German kitchen in Clark
',rrst where Leiaehrn brings him bis dinner
md his stein Of beer. lie takes bis supper
NTH Mrs. Mocrsch and then goes up TO hiS |
'oom.
II Is front room, and II has deep bay |
window banked with mignoncite ard mas. |
artiuin. and az .hss slime Of the ,ear lie |
ashes are opened wide. Sitting here be can |
zee his grass plat and shout al trespaUerS, |
hoagh only total strangers ~ The seighbnr. /
iood wosid ever dream Of setting foot on |
he turf. Sometimes he coeks Iair u /
Ileci-rimned spcctselea and perpscs the |
Gl'egcndo Blaettcr, wading through al the /
merry je~is about the mirlh-provokina ''herr
lieutenant" without relaxing muscle Of his
tern vimRn
The window 10 close 10 the nieps that lead
o the front deor. whore Minnie Moerxch
nd The other girIs sit and entertain their
company" Old Mr.. Bauer never reads the
'lirrende Blaetter on such occasions. but
nokes and looks II the ycnng people al
aoss "a u be we've interested in them Per
APPS be IL.
lie e alicerther q tough. lca,hsry old
eaandrnna. Chicago Daily Record.
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