The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1902-03-15
!: HER GIANT
FOLDING BED
Copyright, 1901, by c. Il. LOOMS
By c. B. LOOMS 80.

1t was against Mr.. Bentley's advice
that Cora bought the giant folding bed.
They lived on the sixth floor in small
"fye-roo and q bath steam heated
all-improvementS" fiat and he said
that such huge folding bed was out
of all proportion to the size of the bed
room. But Mrs. Bentley had set her
heart on it. and Mr. Bentley has not
been husband so long as to feel like
thwarting any legitimate wish.
When she went down to the store,
she found she was just in time to get
one at half price. What luck. She had
expected to pay $50 for the bed, and
she got 1t at $25, although by what
process Of arithmetic twenty-fv be
comes the half Of thirty-five she did
not stop to inquire.
But with the reduced price of the
bed her good luck ended and she en-
tered upon a chapter of annoyances
that would have made the bed dear as
a gratuity.
The bed people were just moving out
and were too busy to send the bed
~ StDdl dtt tApINSHliiNii IL
fused to stir their wagons when they
learned that it was giant. She began
to wish that it was a trundle bed. But
at last an eXpreSsman who was just
starting In business and who was
therefore inexperienced contracted for
s. to deliver it.
She reflected that the salesman had
fold her that If a Vpnipnf
size, as one side of the room did not
need to be papered when the bed was
up. for it took up the entire wall space
So she went and waited for the bed
with all the ardOr of a small child
Every time the dumb waiter blew she
ran out to see If they were trying tc
send it up that way, but when it final
ly arrived after wait of four hours
ii came in at the front door
After ten minutes or so Mrs BENTLEY
heard mastodOnic footsteps on the
stairs. the swish Of tearing wall paper,
the crash of falling gi1lcs and She
knew that they were bringing Tie bed
up stairs. So did all the other fiat
jewellers. When she looked over the
staircase. there were from three to
four heads beneath her, all looking
down
The arrival at different landings was
punctuated by the crash of glass and
the fall of plaster. And on the third
floor the bed fell on one of the men
Luckily he was fat German. and he
escaped with a barked shin and a mis-
laid temper
Long before that there was a string
of home returning heads of families
separated from their little ones by the
Chinese wall of bed. Those who
were athletic enough climbed over and
escaped to their apartments. but the
rest had to content themselves with
throwing kisses to their beloved ones
and telling them not to despair.
Mrs. Bentley had not hitherto known
there were so many people living in
the house. The stairs were black with
them, and the bed moved with the de
liberation of glacier
When the men reached the fourth
floor, they clamored for beer, and Mrs
Bentley, being inexperienced, sent for
two bottles, which We're brought in by
the janitor's son.
The two men sat down or rather. up.
way up, on the bed and opened bottle
apiece amid groans from the belated
fiat jewellers who lived above the third.
1t is probable that they had already
solaced themselves with beer. for they
became very merry and loquacious aft
er the bottles had been emptied, and
many Of their jokes would not have
been allowed at variety thcater
There is a saying that there is al
ways room at the top. This did not
prove to be the case in regard to the
giant bed. The hallway at the top flat
was q joint affair two suits opening
on 1t, and ii was the narrOwest in the
building. When the men finally arriy-
ed with their tremendous load, they
found that it was going to be a Chinese
puzzle to get into Mrs. Bentleys They
shattered the last globe and then sat
down on the stairs to ponder
They finally came to the conclusion
that they could not get it in unless the
door of the opposite apartment were
opened to admit Of its being slowed
around
Mrs. Cochran was the opposite neigh
Dor. She and Mrs. Bentley had been
as distant as such contiguous flat
jewellers could be. Their bows In the
hall were as icy as the hall itself. Mrs
Cochran thought Mrs. Bentley fool
ish little new wife. and Mrs. Bentley
thought Mrs. Cochran common
STILL there was nothing for ii but to
ask Mrs. Cochran to open her front
door and let the man swing the bed
into the doorway for just one moment.
The fat man rang her bell She open
ed the door, with fire in her eyes She
had been trying to get the youngest to
sleep. and the constant humping and
crashing and the objurgations and
beery laughter of the expressmen had
rolled the not too placid waters of her
disposition to a foaming point
Mrs. Cochran glowered
OH said Mrs. Bentley. with a has
tily made veneer of sweetness. May
the men just swing the bed into your
hallway so that they can get it into my
doorway? l didn't suppose it was so
big | don't think it was so big in the
store"
Mrs. Cochran shifted at the inanity
OF the remark, but she said:
"Oh, | suppose | can't refuse.
hope you'll quit your humping after
you get 1t In. / can't get my child to
slam ubi1o tic GOING -