The copper era., 1905-04-27
4 Practical Joke.
BY MRS. OTTO RosEsTHAL-

to eat his supper talk d little while
 with his daughter and her husband.
 then go to his room, put lighted | lamp on d chair near his couch, take his paper or library book and settle i himself for two hours read.
 ! Poor MT. Smith, his work was hard
 and he was getting old. All he seem-
 ed to care for at the close of day ! was quiet rest and peace undisturbed. Several times of late Mrs. White, his daughter, had sought to cheer | him, trying in her loving way to keep him with them. with pleasant conversation and many smiles. but to | no purpose. He even refused to al- low them to lay his fire for him as | fall approached. He seemed so sad
 and weary most of the time that they decided at once that he was getting
 too old to have such heavy work. They tried to persuade him to give ! up his work altogether, but he would | not.
 | So one evening they noticed MT.
 Smith seemed unusually tired and Mir. White told his wife he would try
 to cheer him up a little. Then he | left his doorway and crossed over to | his father-in-law's room near by. As
 he drew near the door he glanced up
 the street and saw MT. Smith going
 toward the corner grocery store.
 smile fitted across his face. It was | just what he wanted. A chance to
 play d joke on his father-in-law so he
 made a hurried search around the
 yard, having in mind what he was going to do. He found d small empty
 lard bucket and huge piece of
 cloth He hurriedly climbed up to
 the chimney and stuffed both cloth and bucket down to keep it firm. Then he went back to his own door,
 keeping watch until he saw his | father-in-law enter his room. He
 saw him strike match through the
 open door, then light his lamp, he | then closed the door and his son-in-
 law smiled. 1t was hardly dusk, but | it brought to mind the book, |
 Smith was getting settled for a perusual of his paper. Then the | thought occurred to him that he may
 not use fire that evening then his | joke would have to wait. But he
 waited patiently for q time, then he
 and his wife crept silently near their fathers door. Now Mrs. White al
 ways kept fuel in a box near the
 stove so it would be convenient for
 her father. She and her husband crouched under the window of her fathers room quiet as mice. Finally
 they peeped in at the window, there Mir. Smith was, poor man, building a fire of course all unconscious of what
 was to come. He, at last had it fixed
 to suit him. He put d lighted lamp on the chair near his couch, got his paper and was just about ready to lie down to read when he remembered he had not started the fire gOing in the stove. He struck another match or two and after d sigh of deep con- tent he settled down to read and rest. Now he was deeply interested in socialism and had just finished read ing q few remarks on the first page of ''The Appeal to Reason," when it occurred to him the fire was not burn ing. He glanced over the edge of his paper at the stove but went on read ing few minutes longer. All the time his blessed filial children were suffocating with laughter outside by his window.
 Finally he arose "Well that fire has gone out I guess. That wood | can't be wet. It never rains here" He went to the stove. shook up the
 grate, turned the damper up and | opened all the drafts in hurried
 worried way, struck another match, | put more paper in the stove, started
 it burning then returned to his Sea son." He did not seem satisfied. He
 got up again and put the lamp on the
 table, sat down in his rocker waiting | for the fire to burn. Of course the actual blaze went out but the smoke from the burning paper circulated through the room in little white
 puffs. He seemed puzzled. At last he gave a jump for the poker, pounded the stovepipe a few times, then he took all the wood out, put in two whole newspapers looking quickly to see that they were not his precious "Appeals"), then shaved off some of the already fine kindling finer still to be sure it would burn this time So after many groans and murmur- ming he at last had it ready to light. he secured another match from the little box on his table. scratching it firmly on the stovepipe he proceeded to light the papers beneath the wood. Well it flared up promising like so he put the lamp on the chair, got his "Reason" again, but forgot where he had put his glasses. He looked on the couch, under it on the | floor everywhere, but could not find | them. All the time the burning | paper was emitting great clouds of l smoke into the room. He gave up ! looking for his glasses, which were |