Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-06-20
day handed Mr.. Brandt slip OF

he explained something further which
made Mr.. Brandt laugh.
"Well try It," he said.
When they opened on Monday
morning, there began a comedy OF
curiosity. For the McGeary family
could not relinquish the joys OF read
ing price tags and specializing on the
ms and outs of the furniture busl-
ness. Maintaining the appearance OF
the friendllest feelings for Mr.,
Brandt, they shopped without ceas-
ing.
Evadne, evidently having arisen
with the lark, came in early, bent on
the purchase of Ave cents worth OF
carpet tacks. With sweet indifference
she examined the cards on a sewing
machine and carpet sweeper, and
duly reported at home. yg and u.nu.
At half past nine Endora bought two
yards of picture wire, and Incl
dentally memorized rpm on the green
upholstered Morris-chair, cue on the
golden oak one, and bu.ne on an oak
dining table.
At quarter past ten Bryan courte-
ously begged to be favored With the
gift OF a yardstick-he had seven at
homeland stored his memory with
Up on the maple bedroom set, and BIER
on a patent ironing board. AT twenty
minutes past eleven Mrs. McGeary
sought portieres of a peculiar shade
to match mythical color scheme for
an imaginary room, located in the
limbo of Der dreams. Portieres were
marked y,pe, i.un and lee. Also the
handsome leather fire screen was
yb.ge.
Harold pondered throughout the
lunch hour with the painful gravity
of a seer confronted with mystic
cabala. To tell the truth, Bvadne
and Bryan had one or two letters mis-
placed, and Mrs. McGeary was not ABB
solutely certain whether that fire
screen was yb.ge or gy.eb. These
facts were falteringly confessed after
the shrewd detective had made Nor
ris-chalrs cost one dollar and seventy
five cents and fire screens ninety-eight
dollars.
"Hang 1t ALI" he snapped. SLOW
could anybody make sense out of an
important problem like this without
accurate figures? I'll have to make
sure myself.
So on his way to the clothing store
where he now worked, he fingered
in front of the prescribed windows,
twisting and craning to get view Of
tho forbidden fruit. The fine Mis-
sion couch was eg.pr, the smaller Mis-
sion chair CRIB, and the larger one
egg. Now he could find that buying
price.
In the afternoon Mrs. McGeary
came again to ascertain the price of
fixtures in case she should find the
portieres of the elusive shade. She
studied wicker rocking chairs and
iron hedsteads. Della McGeary ac-
companied her friend. Miss Kitty
Hendricks, and while the latter
looked at curtain rods for her moth
er's parlor, Della studied carpets.
And all the while, Mr.. Brandt and
John Walters INDUCED in hearty
laughter as they congratulated each
other. and at home Harold settled
himself with logged determination
to work out the solution. That Mis-
sion couch should be somewhere in
the range of twenty or thirty dollars.
Well, suppose is 2, and g is 4 is
probably 8; should be 0. But that
would make the small chair cost only
Eve d5liaI5 and forty something. TO
it again. Suppose the larger chair
cost about nine dollars. Let be 8,
g s Snd Y 0-nine dollars and fifty
cents. Horrors That makes the
couch cost ninety-five dollars. What
in the world was the buying price?
Again and again in the succeeding
days did the McGeary family sally
forth for prey, and Harold. outlawed,
craned his neck to read the marks
on thu various pieces displayed in the
windows. At home he tantallzed' his
wits. nightly till unreasonable hours,
and Dlade his days wretched with the
problem of the buying price. His
brain reeled with symbols and crypto4
grama His head ached with Cum
berland," and all the other hateful
wordg of ten letters. At last he
grew so preoccupied and nervous that
he lost successfully his jobs in the
store, the shoe store and the
grocery. And the McGeary family
grew SO Disguised with the task of
trying to make sense out of the tags
on Mr.. Brandt's furniture that they
bought their new linoleum at Pine
Hill, six miles away.
Mr.. Brandt was laughing over the
story with travelling salesman one
day.
And what was John code-word,
If l may be trusted with the precious
asked the salesman.
well. you see, John reasoned that
the extraordinary acuteness of our
young detective would cause him to
look for something very intricate, so
he opposed smartness with the most
battling thing In the world-when you
don't expect extreme simplicity.
Johns new word was just what the
code stands for:
I 3 3 8 7 silS g."
And the goods in the Window"
asked the man.
"Oh, he knew that Harold would
use those marks for keys, so we just
jumbled things up a little, nonsense
when we put piece of goods
on display out in front"
Harold would hardly call that
fair, said the salesman, laughing.
True, but think of the mental ex-
ercise it has given him. | believe he
would give John all he ever hopes to
possess for that word, but John isn't
selling any business secrets.
"No," replied John, I'm too busy
ooking at the buying price. -
Youths Companion.