The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-12-08
JoBsoN PUTS IN COAL.

II got ahead of the probable tre-
bling in the price of anthracite coal,
due to the big strike in Pennsylvania,
by ordering five tons of furnace coal
Yesterday afternoon said Mr.. Job
son at breakfast one morning last
week. ''It'll be dumped in front of
the house about half-past nine this
morning. 1 also engaged a colored
man to put it into the cellar, and he II
be around in the neighborhood of ten
O'Clock. only mention this little
matter to you in order that, if you
have any idea of rushing downtown
before 1 am block away so that
you'll be first in line at the bargain
counters, you may abandon that
idea"
The colored man engaged by Mr..
Jobson to put in the coal didn't make
his appearance at ten o'clock, nor at
II, nor II. Mrs. Jobson spent the
entire morning, to the neglect of her
work, peering out between the par
lor curtains for him, but it was OBJ
vious that Mr.. Jobson's man got side
tracked somewhere. When half-past
II came around, and no sign of Mr..
Jobson coal HEAVIER, Mrs. Jobson hur-
riedly donned her street apparel and
went in search of another man to
stow the COAL which had arrived in
procession of wagons shortly before
ten O'Clock, in the cellar. In this
search, however, she had no luck at
all. She met up with at least seven
strong, hardy-looking youths of color
within radius of two squares of the
Jobson domicile, all of whom appear
ed to be in the enjoyment of high
noon siestas, but she couldn't induce
any of them to undertake the coal
slowing job, although she offered as
much as $3.50 to have it done. All
the siesta-enjoying colored youths had
'tjes' bin gagged tub do uh job O
wuk fo' uh man down de squaruh dat
'ud tex 'em all de aftuhnoon. Mrs.
Jobson returned home very much dis
heartened, knowing that Mr.. Jobson
would hold her personally responsible
for the slowing of those five tons of
coal. She resumed her vigil at the
front window, asking every other col
ored man that passed if he wanted
the coal-stowing job, but each and
all of them looked dif6dently at the
pyramid of black diamonds, scratch
ed his head, remarked that he "didn' t
hev no shovel" and fed the tempta-
ton at a greatly accelerated pace.
At half-past two Mrs. Jobson re-
ceived a message from Mr.. Jobson
notifying her that he'd be up with
the horse aud buggy at three to take
her for drive, She dressed for the
drive without any great degree of
confidence. She had a premonition
that she wasn't going to have any
drive that afternoon.
Her premonition was correct, of
course. Mr.. Jobson drove up in
front of the house at five minutes to
three and he scowled heavily when
he saw the mound of coal still stand
ing on the asphalt. Mrs. Jobson
noted the scewl from the front win
dow and she 'stood by" as mariners
put it. Mr.. Jobson jumped out of
the buggy, clasped the weight to the
horses bit and clumped into the
house.
Might 1 venture TO inquire" he
asked, in tone of awful calm, "what
is the reason that coal hasn't been
put away?"
1.-The man you hired to do it didn't t
come" replied Mrs. Jobson.
"Oh, he didn't, hey?" snorted
Mr.. Jobson. "That sounds pretty
good, Mrs. Jobson, but I just happen
to know that the word of that man ]
engaged to put the coal in is just as
good as his bond, and if he wasn't
here promptly at ten O'Clock to the
minute, then there's something al
mighty queer about it. You are per
fectly certain, 1 suppose, that you
were here yourself at ten O'Clock
when the man came ?"
1.-THE man didn't come" repeated
Mrs. Jobson, land l have been in the
house all day, except for the mortal
hour that I spent trying to beg and
implore numerous colored men to put
the coal in''
"HuAp shifted Mr.. Jobson, 81
have large pastel portrait of Mrs
Jobson wasting her valuable time
over any shch trivial frivolous mat.
ter. I'll bet a million dollars to 6
hatpin that ! can get the very first
colored man that passes by the front
gate to put that coal in, and be durn
ed glad of the jab."
Whereupon Mn Jobson took up hi:
stand on the 'front.' $steps and awaited
the passing of the first man anc
brother. The frst happened to b.
arrayed in a very impressive clerica