Mexico Missouri message., 1908-12-31

man and the powder you put on your
complexion resolves itself into cum
ming little marbles OF dough-
anyhow. Tom and should have
known better than TO rent our Eat
furnished when we moved away. Or
else never should have come back
to pack up the furniture. We should
have let the fiat remain a glad mem
DRY In all It's original glory. Then
should have been spared the sight OF
my best Bokhara rug Ia the passage
way between the kitchen and dining
room and my best vase being used az
an ash receiveri ! saved all my ten
cent pieces for six months to encom.
pass the purchase OF that vase--and
then the tenant. who wore diamonds
and said she loved 'Vogner' music. said
she couldn't ind anything in the
house she dared give her husband TO
use for ashes until she stumbled on
that cheap little eolored-glass thing
on the mantell She said she thought
colored glass vulgar on the whole
didn't l?
Il don't know why II Is that the
most vigorously moral persons, on
renting somebody else's home fur.
nished, at once become gladsomely ir-
responsible heathens.
still, ! think could have stood Il
all II II hadn't been for the picture of
Washington Crossing the Delaware
l didn't own 1.-THE tenant did. I
didn't even know II was in the fiat I
was too much engaged in waiting on
the misanthropic man who had ar
rived with what seemed like a lumber
yard and an excelsior factory 10 crate
my own pictures for shipping.
"Mournfully I carted them in and
deposited them about him In a circle
like funeral pyre. felt that way
because. of course, didn't know
whether ever should see them again
except in small fragments. This NOV.
Ing is so uncertain. But the packer
was good man at heart and assured
me that he would do his best.
And he did. Such layers of excel
sior. such braeing and wadding Of
corners I never hope to see again.
dwell upon this particularly I'm view
OF what happened later. That man
toiled for hours-and was paying
him for HIS time. He tugged and
pounded and nailed and tied and
stuffed excelsior TIN finally that huge
crate was as solid as brick.
don't believe You could have got a pin
inserted In 1t. for there wasn't crev.
Ice big enough anywhere. Il was a
triumph OF packing.
nTt.aN M ~ ..... ...A
driving the last NAH to wipe the sweat
from his brow. the tenant tore madly
INTO the kitchen where we were. She
was a little woman and she hoped
around like a distracted chicken.
Where she shrieked. where IL
my Washington My washington
Crossing the Delaware?"'
"The packer and gazed stupidity at
each other. ! think by this time the
excelsior had got into our brains.
- dunno, ma'am. the packer STAN
mered. after staring wildly into the
sink and under the kitchen table, Is
he dog or a catT
Don't try to act Innocent cried
the tenant. shaking her finger at him.
1T was my Washington that my great
aunt brought from New Hampshire as
present the year all OF us children
mad the measles and she came TO
visit pal net Il down by the radi-
ator. right here--and it's gonel You've
put Il in that box and you've iust cot
) TO unpack IT,
There was an agonlEed instant Ia
which the packer swayed Imply ana
hung across that huge box like rag.
When he got his breath he said he'd
be everlastingly something or other II
be didl Uniesa he got paid for i'll
"The tenant had fierce eyes. I mur.
! INJURED few weak, temporizlng things
such as that would send the picture
| back after I unpacked the box at its
, destination. I even suggested buying
her another. Thereppon she explod-
ed. She said had no feelings ana
that she vas going TO have hor orlri.
nai Washington that her revered
great-aunt had given. and that no
: money could replace t. ] gathered that
. Il was work Of art done By an old
, master and that the rest Of the con
! tenta OF the box were dr0sa 70 Il.
( Beneath her gaze / crunpled and
. gave the word 70 unpack
a Il didn't watch tho process I
. couldn't have stood the sight OF ali
, that excelsior being pried out. The
J. farther the man excayated the box tho
\ more sprightiy grew thu packers Ian
0 guage, but when a. last he found
3 Warrington he was dumb from OK
3 haustlcn and rage, Il was the vary
3 first picture be had packed and Of
q course was Al the bottom % the box
4 Eagerly ! rushed % gaze on TIE
/. InlnsteYpiece. found could dupll
\ case II for 80 centn IN nny department
. store ID me world and wanted q
q burst into fearn
8 mt ] len ma 90 @ Tom--NaIl