The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-02-13


ding n remark &c him. Simmons IN \
answer merely lif,cl Dis free hand /
with gesture for silence aud slowly /
let &c drop again
Urop by drop the mud Of argument |
yielded the pare water OF true uhiIos- !
ophy which crvEa..2ed as % lcil into /
two luminous ideas.
IA man who viii bca, the bank
where he works VIII surely beat
stranger
Such q man IS fair game
The ucxt Gay q new hcardcr took
mp his quarters at Nichols's boarding
house. lie arrived shortly after Mich
OILS had left for bis days work.
The new h0ardor was very particular
about his room. ana the one over Mich.
olss was the only one that suited him.
The new boardar was given to rhcuma-
tism. ana a southern exposure was os-
scntial. He paid double price for the
room. and the landlady was charmed
with hlm-sO exclusive, so refined and
such beautiful references.
The now boarder had hobby. What
truly great character has not? The
new boarders hobby was to play with
q brace and bit He also had a pen
chant He was given to boring holes
| I'm the floor OF his room above the gas
! chandelier OF the room below, where
they were quito unnotceable He
also had q little failing-nquisitiye-
ness. lie lay on the floor OF his room
by the hour with his eyes glued to the
holes he had bored, watching for any
thing that might interest him in Mich
ols's room below.
If Nichols had seen him lying there
he would, with the readers kind per-
mission, have given a correct imita-
ton Of a petrifed man, for the new
boarder was none other than Simmons
the philosopher
At 4 O'Clock that afternoon Nichols
entered his rooms. Simmons saw him.
Nichols carefully locked his door and
hung a towel over the keyhole. lie
then unscrewed the cap Of one Of the
posts of his brass bed Simmons had
his eye on him. Nichols also unscrewed
a little brass plate that gave the post
the appearance Of solidity. He then
drew n nice large wad Of legal tender
from his inside pocket. Simmons made
a desperate effort to get both eyes to
bear on the same hole. Nichols sep
arated the wad into rolls of convenient
size and stuffed them down the hol-
low post. Then he screwed on the
brass plate and the ornamental can.
After Nichols had left his room Sim
mons swcrc a mighty oath that it was
as good as a play. He was an ambi-
tious man and wondered whether in
similar circumstances he could act
, the part Of Nichols He determined
upon a trial rehearsal. Unfortunately
il, his bedstcad was a wooden affair. lie
therefore had to go to Nichois's room
TO get the proper staging for the piece
. Simmons was a coGsummate actor, FOR
at Nichols's door he temporarily tcok
the part Of the little dimpled god thai
= laughs at lOcksmiths. Then he I'D
y screwed the cap and the plate. Tier
y he removed the rolls Of bills with 9
bent wire. Then he felt Il sudden I'm
q goyernable yearning for Third avenue
=, Amid the strenuous strife Of tli.
. greedy. graspin@ world. it is always
+, both odifying and refreshing to contem
!, plate a pure and limDid love OF home.
=
- At o o'clock that night Nichols re
ceived a telegram from Simmons
% Cannot come tonight. Win to-mor
row night do?
i, This was facetiously signed by G
g jenkins.
81 Nichols nearly had q fit
- q suppose I'll have to get this none
=. back into the bank somehow" b
- grumbled. lie unscrewed the bras
~ cap and the plate. Then he had the
- nearer than before. He felt gone.
- The fits that Nichols nearly had wcr
~ forerunncrs OF an epidemic. The Boar
-. Of Directors OF the First National Ban
-, Of Warrington were taken with I'll
~ infection next day. An aching Vol
w in bank vault is an upsetting spe
M tacle They looked for Nichols, bl
~ all in vain.
= Nichols's gone feeling had becom
-, chronic.-New York Evening Sun.