The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1902-04-17
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HER GIANT
FOLDING BED
By c. 3. LOOMS 80.
copyr,shs. 1904. BY 9. b. Loomis

Cd - r-s-l-s-'@ 80 "a
9 Copyright, 1901, by G. b. Loomis @
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1t was against Mr.. Bentley's advice
that Cora bought the giant folding bed.
They lived on the sixth floor In a small
ave rooms and "a Observation-Disclosures
all-lmprovements' fat, 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 it at $25, although by what
process Of arithmetic twenty-five 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 chapter Of annoyances
that would have made the bed dear as
gratuity.
The bed people were just moving out
and were too busy to send the bed
home. Five separate expressmen re-
fused to stir their wagons when they
learned that it was giant. She began
to wish that it was trundle bed. But
at last an expressman who was just
starting In business and who was
therefore inexperienced contracted for
81 to deliver it.
She reflected that the salesman had
told her that it was very convenient
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 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
~ arrived after a wait Of four hours
1t 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 globes, and she
knew that they were bringing the 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. s.
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 string
Of home returning heads Of families
separated from their little ones by the
Chinese wall of a 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 a glacier.
When the men reached the fourth
floor. they clamored for beer, and Mrs.
Bentley, being inexperienced, sent for
two bottles, which were brought in by
the tanitors son.
The two men sat down, or, rather, up,
way up, on the bed and opened bottle
apiece amid groans from the belated
fat 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 theater.
| 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 fiat
was a joint affair, two suits opening
on it, and it was the narrowest in the
building. When the men finally arriv-
ed with their tremendous load, they
found that 1t was going to be Chinese
puzzle to get into Mrs. Bentley's. 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 fiat
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 1t but tc
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 tt
sleep, and the constant humping anG
crashing and the objurgations ant
berry laughter of the expressmen had
rolled the not too placid waters Of hel
disposition to foaming point.
Mrs. Cochran glowered.
"Ohr' said Mrs. Bentley, with has
tily made veneer of sweetness. "May
the men just swing the bed into you
hallway SO that they can get it into my
doorway? l didn't suppose it was 81
big. don't think 1t was SO big in th'