The Colfax chronicle., 1900-12-08
JODSOn Puts Goal


trebling in the price of anthra-
cite coal. due to the big strike in
Pennsylvania, by ordering five tons
of furnace coal yesterday afternoon"
said Mr.. Jobson at breakfast one
morning last week. "It'll be dumped
in front of the house about half-past
nine this morning. also engaged
colored man to put it in the cellar,
snd he'll be around in the neighbor-
mood of ten o'clock. / only mention
.his little matter to you in order that,
q you have any idea of rushing down
tcwn before / am q block away so
ti.t you'll be first in line at the bar
gain counters, you may abandon that
idea"
The colored man engaged by Mr..
Jobs5n to put in the coal didn't make
his appearance at ten o'clock, nor at
ii, ncr at 12. 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
yious tha. Mr.. Jobson's man got side
tracked somewhere. When half-past
~ came around, and no sign of MIR.
Jobson's coal HEAVIER, Mrs. Jobson hur-
riedly dpnned her street apparel and
went in search of another man to
stow the coal. which had arrived in
q 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-locking youths of color
within a radius Of two squares of the
Jobson domicile, all of whom appeared
to be in the enjoyment of high-noon
siestas, but she couldn't induce any
of them to undertake the coal-stowing
Job, although she offered as much as
$3.50 to have it dore. All of the
siesta-enjoying colorcd youths had
''jes' bin gagged tub do nh job O. wuk
fo' uh man down de sGoayuh dat 'ud
tex 'em all de aftuhnocn." Mrs. job
son 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 be wanted
the coal-stowing job. but each and all
of them looked difiidently at the pyra-
mid of black diamonds, scratched his
head, remarked that he didn't hev
no shovel" and fed the temptation at
a greatly accelerated pace.
At half-past two Mrs. Jobson re-
ceiyed message from Mr.. Jobson
notifying her that he'd be up with
the horse and buggy at three to take
her for drive. She dressed for the
drive without any great degree of
confidence. She had 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 standing on
the asphalt. Mrs. Jobson noted the
scowl from the front window 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 / venture to inquire" he
asked, in tone of awful calm, whats
the reason that coal hasn't been put
nway?"
1.-THE man you hired to do it didn't
come" replied Mrs. Jobson.
"Oh, he didn't, hey?' snorted Mr..
Jobson. THAT sounds pretty good,
Mrs. Jobson, but 1 just happss. to
know that the word of that man / en-
gagged 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, / suppose, that you
were here yourself. at ten O'Clock
when the man came!"
"The man didn't come" repeated
Mrs. Jobson, land / have been in the
house all day, except for the mortal
hour that / spent trying to beg and
implore numerous colored men to put
the coal In"
"Huh!" shifted Mr.. Jobson, Il have
a large pastel portrait of Mrs. Jobsor
wasting her valuable time over any
such trivial and frivolous matter. ri
bet million dollars to hatpin hat
can get the very first colored iAar
that passes by the front gate to put
that coal in, and be burned glad o.
the job"
Whereupon Mr.. Jobson took upy yhil
stand on the front steps and awafet
the passing of the first man snt
brother. The first happened 70 bl