The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-22
THE GIANT FOLDING BED.

1t was against Mr.. Bentley's adj
wise that Cora bought the giant fold
ing bed. They lived on the sixth
floor in a small "five-rooms-and-a "a
Observation-Disclosures
fiat, and he said that such a huge
folding bed was out of all proportion
to the size of the bedroom. 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 $35 for the bed,
and she got it at $25, although by
what process of arithmetic twenty
FIVE becomes 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 gratuity.
The bed people were just moving
out and were too busy to send the
bed home. Five separate expressmen
refused 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 contrac-
ted for So 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 a small
child. Every time the dumb waiter
blew she ran out to see if they were
trying to send it up that way, but
when it finally arrived after a wait
of four hours it came in at the front
door.
After ten minutes or so Mrs. Bent
ley heard mastodonic footsteps on the
stairs, the swish of tearing wall pa
per, the crash of falling globes, and
she knew that they were bringing the
bed up stairs. So did all the other
fiat dwellers. Wnen 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 a fat German,
and he escaped with a barked shin
and a mislaid 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 deliberation of 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 janitor's son.
Two men sat down, or, rather, up,
way up, on the bed and opened a bot
tie apiece amid groans from the be-
lated fiat dwelllers who lived above
third. 1t is probable that they had
already solaced themselves with beer,
for they became very merry and To-
quacious after the bottles had beer
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 moi
prove to be the case in regard to the
giant bed. The hallway at the tor
fiat was joint affair, two suits open
ing on it, and it was the narrowest II
the building. When the men finally
arrived with their tremendous load
they found that it was going to be {
Chinese puzzle to get into Mrs. Bent
ley's. They shattered the last glob,
and then sat down on the stairs t.
ponder.
They finally came to the conclusion
that they could not get it in unles
the door of the opposite apartment
was opened to admit of its being slew
ed around.
Mrs. Cochran was the opposite
neighbor. She and Mrs. Bentley hat
been as distant as such contiguous
fat dwellers could be. Their bow
in the hall were as icy as the hall it
self. Mrs. Cochran thought Mrs
Bentley a foolish little new wife, ant
Mrs. Bentley thought Mrs. Cockral
common.
Still, there was nothing for it bu
to ask Mrs. Cochran to open he
front door and let the man swing tn,
bed into the doorway for just on
moment.
The fat man rang her bell. Sh
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 objurgation
and beery laughter of the expressmel