The times., 1901-04-28
CAN YOU TIE A BUNDLEP
If Sc. You Are a Very Remarkable
Woman.


yyonoen are pretty much alike the world
over when it comes TO tying bundles. The
man creature may have his shortcomings,
but he is our lord and superior when It
comes to wrapping things in paper and
bandaging it with strings. There is one
Young man in this city who knows how
true it is, for he has experiences every
day in the year. Here Is what happened
the other day to a newspaper woman VINO
had spent one unhappy hour trying 10
corral dozen magazines, boX OF cahdys
and another box containing q paIr o.
baby shoes. She had built them up IN q
Tower of Babel shape, when they very
promptly tumbled after she had wound
them with about sixteen yards OF cOrG-
Then she divided the books into TWO
even heaps with a box on top of each,
and sheathed them IN bolt OF WIlite tape
a Young niece offered a finger TO help
keep the string in place while the news
paper woman tied three diuerent klndS
of knots, and they had actually carried
their bundle TO the nearest car before the
candy fell out in the wOmanS lap AFTER
tribulatiOns of various kinds they man
aged to lug the package TO an express
company, near the railroad depot, ana
present it to the young man IN charge
The woman looked apologize and the
girl giggIed as he sized up the bundle ana
gave il a cOntemptuOuS shove II dlu not
S.-aCtIy fall 10 pieces on the counter, but
it tOttered and betrayed Other demOrallz-
ing symptoms that caused one OF the
guilty parties to say humble Things ana
the other to change her glSgle 10 an II
repressibIe snicker. The stony young
man looked as cold and hard as the stone
gods OF Israel and then with another
shove a tribe more cOntemptuOus tnan
the first dived- under the counter and
fShed up q tremendous sheet OF nedVy
brown paper and u ball of thick grey
twine AS he gathered up the rocky com
binatfou OF books and boxes and sheaIhed
them in their wrapper the two women
eyed each ether sideways ard the elder
said something TO the effect that Sne
would know how to do it next time. The
other said in sarcastic vein: I can see
you doing ii, right now The man said
nothing, but kept on reeling OF twine.
Then sympathetic sound came from the
dingy shadows of the dark little Office.
and a man who had been sitting on a
high stool before counter writing Things
in a ledger sauntered over and looked on.
BY thai time the stony man, who had
almost finished, was beginning to lose his
petrified look and assume the expression
of a man and brother. The company
pays for the paper and twine, he re-
marked, at last. with noble attempt at
fOrgiveness-in the direction of the girl
and her giggles-''and l don't mind the
extra work
I'm afraid I made a stupid bOtch Of
it" acknowledged the newspaper woman,
plaintively holding out s. bill, and OK
course 1 want to pay extra for the pack
The mans eye fell on the bill. and his
really fine cOuntenance began to grow
rigid again as he plunged into his pocket
and brought to the surface about change
enough for a dollar.
Thirty cents from five dollars, he
grOwled at the man standing by. The
woman. feeling something ike thirty
cents herself. franticalIy burrOwed into
her purse but the other man had the
change all right and the tyer of bundles
smiled. IT'S all right. he said genially,
as he paid over the money, II never saw
a woman yet that knew just how 10 tie a
bundle for expressing-you see, it isn't in
your line.
That was all there was to the incident.
but the newspaper woman knew just as
well what was going on in that young
mans mind as he went through the proc
eSs OF fixing that package as il she had
been inside his head. First he was mad
and disgusted. Then he began to make
allowances. and finally his good nature
triumphed-but all the same the woman
went away convinced that he believed
that the woman doesn't live who can tie
n bundle. As to the girl-well, she just
kept on gisgliug.