Evening star., 1902-03-08
WHY THEY DIDN'T MOVE

"No'm," said the Janitor Of the fiat. I'VE
don't allow no dogs here, and there amt
| none In the building, but II yours is just
| little fox terrier, and amt vicious, and
| don't bark or make no noise, why, maybe
can take a chance and let you have the fiat.
| But don't say nothin' about it to the agent
when you engage the fiat, and he won't
know nothin' about it. It's a strict rule
| about no dogs, and it would be as much as
| my jobs worth IL he found out about IT.
why" said the young matron, who had
| looked the fiat over and liked 1t so much
| that she wanted it badly, "Spotty Is the
| quietest little thing you ever heard Of and
he wouldn't hurt a flea, and he never barks,
and I'm sure he'll be just as good as he can
be-"
Thus she moved into the fiat with Spotty.
Now this Is not an indictment OF the
young matron's veracity in the slightest
| sense of the word. and Spotty's reputation
before the move into this particular nat
| may have been something angelic. II that
word may be applied in such connection.
| But 1t is dead certainty that in the mat
| ter Of making good. as it were. on this oc-
casion, Spotty came so far from hitting the
| bulF Fs-eye that
| However, the narrative should proceed
| more in order.
| On the day after the move-in spotty's
| mistress left the fiat. ground floor one,
| just dDON6 lue JdHltOE y " Uo llc maj hSe
| ing, and she left Spotty to his own devices
| Spotty's own devices consisted in making
| the frontwindow lace curtains look ike
stage snow storm. In racing the Whole
| length Of the flat for half an hour with one
| of his mistress slippers, In barking furious
| ly at the rubber plant without intermission
| for twenty minutes and In finally setting
| up mournful wall in which he indicated
| in affecting terms his desire that his mis-
tress return instantly from her marketing
expedition.
The janitor didn't happen to have pass
| key to that fiat, and so he was unabae TO
enter and curb the enthusiasm and finally
| assuage the grief Of Spotty, and SO he had
| to sit in his place down below and receive
the complaining and uncomplimentary Ian
guage of nearly all of the women tenants
| in the fiat building. who told him that they
| had engaged their flats with the stipulation
! that no children or dogs were allowed; that
| they had therefore been the victims of false
| pretenses, and that they intended to move
| within one hour or less If the horrible nui-
| sance was not instantly abated.
The janitor wore a scOwl of gloom upon
| his brow when Spotty's mistress returned.
and the scowl deepened when Spottys mis-
| tress declined in positive terms to believe
| that her animal had been guilty Of one
| eighteenth the mischief Of which he stood
| accused. However. the janitor had the
| edge on the situation. and he quickly used
| 1t by telling her that 1t was a case Of Spotty
| being Immediately done away with or the
vacation of the fiat. This brought Spotty's
| mistress to a state of tears and diplomacy
| She succeeded after long whispered con-
versation, in inducing the janitor to with
draw his ultimatum, the price of the with
draw being So cash in hand and the promise
| that Spotty would be good forevermore.
The husband Of Spotty's mistress suggest
! ed upon his return home that evening that
Spotty ought to make up into the finest
| sausage meat to be procured at any price
| thereby getting himself temporarily dis
| liked in the bosom Of his family.
Spotty's mistress kept vigilant eye upon
| him for three days, and then she lost out
| for three minutes by repairing to the front
| door to get the mail out Of the box. She
| didn't notice that Spotty was sneaking
along after her. But he was. And he sue
| ceeded in remaining out In the hall long
| enough to get little three-year-old girl
| herded up In a corner. where he barked at
her as If he intended to devour her in
mouthful which caused the young one to
roar frightfully.
| That was the finish. The janitor didn't
| see Spotty's mistress at ALL but he waited
/ for the return Of her husband, and he per-
| emptorily ordered the vacation of the fiat.
| We'll move, then. SO there!" said Spot
tvs mistress both to the janitor and to her
husband. We'll move tomorrow"
| Maybe said her husband, softly, to
| himself.
There is no occasion here to portray
| dark figure Sinking out Of that fiat build
| ing that night with a wriggling little white
object in his arms, nor of the dark figure
| sinking back about an hour later with a
satisfied expression his face. But 1t
| whove noticed for some time past furious
lot OF advertising for a lost fox terrier
named Spotty-or thereabouts-that Spotty
| Is lost for good; that the husband OF the
mistress Of that same dog wears an ex-
preston Of great innocence under the stiH
suspicious covert glances Of his wife, and
| that they're still living In that fiat.