The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-04-11


the .ianitor's son.
Two men sat down, or, rather, up,
way up, on the bed and opened bot
tie apiece amid groans from the bclated
flat dwellers who lived above third.
1t is probable that they had already
solaced themselves with beer, for they
became very merry and loquacious
after the bottles had been empted, and
many of their jokes would not have
been allowed at variety theatre.
There is 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 joint affair, two suites open
inc on it, and it was the narrowest in
the building. When the men finally
arrived with their tremendous load,
they found that it was going to he q
Chinese puzzle to get into Mrs. Bent
ley'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 was
opened to admit of its being slowed
around
Mrs. Cochran was the opposite
ncighBor She and Mrs. Bentley had
been as distant as such contiguous flat
dwellers 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 it but to
ask Mrs. Cochran 10 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
opened the door, with fire in her eye.
She had been trying to get the young
est TO sleep, and the constant thump-
ing and crashing and the ohjurs atoms
and beery laughter of the eNprcssmen
had boiled the not too placid waters
OF her disposition to foaming point.
Mrs Cochran olowered.
"Oh!' said Mrs. Bentley, with a
hastily 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:
ooh, | suppose 1 can't refuse. l
hope you'll quit your humping after
you get it in. | can't get my child to
sleep while it's going on"
"Im sure it will only he minute.
You see, the worst is over
81 should hope so,' said Mrs. Coch-
ran, looking at the dents in the wall
and the broken globes. And then the
two eXprcssmcn put their shoulders to
the bed and swung it into the doorway
with such vchemencc that it stuck like
fat cork in small bottle and refused
to bulge.
"Well, this is pretty state Of
things said Mrs. Cochran from be-
hind the bed. GLOW do you suppose
we're going to close our front door
with that great bed in the way?'
"You won't need to close it. No
one will COON in while der bet is dere.
1t is besser as door" And the Ger
man laughed uproariously and fatty.
"Oh. but this is too awful!' said
Mrs. Bentley, wringing her hands help
lessly.
81 should think it was" came the
voice of Mrs. Cochran from the other
! side of the bed.
"Is your husband in there? Can't
he help pusL?' suggested Mrs. Bentley.
NO. snapped Mrs. Cochran. "He
hasn't come home yet, and, what
more, he can't until this barricade is
removed. How anybody but fool
could have bought such monstrous
thing | don't see!''
At this juncture Mr.. Cochran came
up stairs, with MIR. Bentley just behind
him. Mr.. Cochran looked puzzled.
Mr.. Bentley eroaned. He had come
home too soon.
What are you dong to the hed?''
asked Mr.. Cochran.
I've amt doin' a ting to i'd" said
the fat German joyously.
Bentley and Cochran laughed, but
Mrs. Bentley saw no humor in the re,
mark, and certainly Mrs. Cochran saw
no funny side to the bed. Both sides
seemed tragic to her.
is that You, Gecrg,?'' she called
out.
"Yes, it's me. Shall come in?"
"You can't except by the fire es
cape" said Mrs. Cochran despairingly
What are you doing with it in the
wrong door, asked Mr. Bentley of tic
expressmen.
Sure 'twould hove shtook as fasl.t
in amy dure," said the Irish express
man, and the German roared sympa
thetically.
Mr. Cochran is a man Of action
"Here; we four men ought to be able
to move little be-a bed. Now, alto