St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-07-13
BECAUSE OF A ...
BOX OF TOOLS
BY JANE ELLIS JOY.
Observation-Disclosures EEM0MMM5

THE sign in the window, "Furni-
ture Neatly Repaired" was all
that distinguished Max Hombach's
home and place of business from the
other narrow-fronted tenement
houses in the row.
While Mr.. Hombach's shop on the
ground floor was full of odds and
ends suggesting his occupation,
books, newspapers and certain of the
magazines indicated that the man
of the glue-pot and hammer was q
man of some mental culture.
Evidently the magnetic influence of
Mr.. Hombach was considerable; many
were the friends and admirers that
called to see him in order to hear his
"'views" on the questions of the day.
In summer time the talk was car
ried on at the front door steps; but
during the cold weather the little
meetings took place in the work
room, where Mr.. Hombach's ringing
voice not unfrequently kept the ten
ants of the house, as well as those In
the houses adjoining, awake until
midnight.
OF course Mr.. Hombach was nui-
sance, but his neighbors bore with
him on account of the little boy
whom he had adopted. 'Max must
have good heart" they reasoned,
<'to take in strange child and be so
kind to him."
Little Randolph Hombach was the
waif of a steamboat disaster of some
ten years ago. Max, then about 80
years of age, had been one of the
passengers. In the panic baby was
handed to him to save. The mother
never reached shore. Failing to find
any relatives for the child, the man,
who had no relatives of his own, con-
cluded to keep it.
At present Mr.. Hombach was at
work mending broken table. The
fierce frown on his forehead indicat-
ed that he was also occupied with
some mental problem. When, pres
emily, he heard the sound of light
footsteps in the hall, the frown dis
appeared.
The boy was coming home from
school. He stopped few moments
to talk to woman in the entry;
then he came into the workroom with
his customary: "Hello, father" add
ing: ssMiss Elizabeth Bradley wants
the loan of your chisel. May take
it up to her now?'
Mr.. lHombach started as if he had
been struck, his countenance chang
ing with the quickness OF lightning.
Although generous to a fault, he had
drawn the line of generosity and
neighborliness at his tool box, the
contents of which were almost sacred
in his eyes.
LEND my chisel-to woman! A
woman! AS if q woman could touch
a tool without spelling it! My
gracious, Randolph, do you think /
am mad?"
Haven't you m old chisel some
where, father?" asked the boy. i
don't like to tell Miss Elizabeth that
YOU won't lend her a tool because
she's woman. She can't help that
Mr.. Hombach threw back his bushy
head. while smile that he tried to
hide shot out OF his eyes. Nervous
and tempestuous in manner himself
of all things he admired calmness in
others, Randolph's quiet dignity quite
delighted him.
..The boy is diplomat" he thought
to himself. "What cool head! All
some day he will sit with the great
men of the world. Well, I guess you
nav take that chisel to Miss Brad
lev" he said, presently, and began tc
work.
Miss Elizabeth Bradley, who was
dressmaker in q small way, lived II
the back wing OF the second floor OF
the house. She might have been 81
or IS. She did not look old, but was
still not what would be called "a
Young lady," Randolph felt that NJ
would not have liked her so well Il
that title had fitted her exactly.
"Thank you,' she said, admitting
the little Bismarck into her apart
ment. She was trying with some ill
assorted tools to make cabinet ou'
of a grocery box. The boy looked OF
the work with interest, and the two
began chatting
Perhaps few things in Miss Brad
lev's monotonous life gave her 81
much pleasure as listening to Kan
dolph's talk about the discussions
that were carried on nightly down
stairs. He was still SO small ane
childish-looking that the fuen
phrases he repeated so glibly savore'
to her of "cuteness." She liked t.
"draw him out" as she said, and ire
ouently asked what "pa" though
about this or thot.
..Wen, I guess your pas got lots o
nice sensible ideas," she remarked a
reioinder to RansolPh's elucldatlol
of what his father believed in regare
20 territorial expansion"
Miss Elizabeth herself did no
know what the term meant, but sn'
had some excellent ideas about max
ing gingerbread. She had tragran