Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-08-12

eyes
to say, except that it contained a bed,
a Washstand. mirror, two straight
backed chairs and clothespress
broom went out for his bath-every
Saturday night. The Giving room,"
however, was queer in more ways than
one. In one corner on a chest Of draw
ers stood his oil stove, while in the op-
posite corner big sheet iron heater
made itself conspicuous. Firewood
was piled behind the stove winter and
summer, broom lamenting that one
could not safely discriminate between
the seasons in Chicago. The chest Of
drawers contained his stock of pro-
visions, his cooking and table utensils.
his medicine and small assortment Of
carpenters tools. He had no use for
an icebox.
4 bookcase, old enough to warm the
heart Of the most ardent antiquarian,
held his small and unusual collection
Of books. Standing side by side on
the same shelf were French romances
and the Holy Bible, much bethumbed
and penciled. There were schoolbooks
alongside Of sentimental love tales,
Greek lexfcons and quaint old fairy
stories, law books and works on GRIM
inOlogy; books ON botany. geology,
anatomy and physics. In all perhaps
there were 200 volumes. A life Of Ma
poleon revealed signs Of almost con-
slant usage. There were three pors
traits Of the Corsican on the dingy
green walls. ..-
The strange character of the man
was best shown by the pictures that
adorned or rather disflgured. the walls.
Vulgar photographs and prints were to
be seen on all sides. Mingled with
these cheap creations were excellent
copies of famous Madonnas. quaint
Scriptural drawings, engravings of the
Saviour and an allegorical colored
print which emphasized the joys Of
heaven. There was also a badly drawn
but idealized portrait of broom. done
In crayon at the age of twenty. This
portrait was one of his priced posses
sions. He loved 1t best because 1t was
bust and did not expose his longitu.
dinal defects. If broom ever had en-.
tertained feminine visitor in his
apartments, there Is no record of the
fact. But few men had seen the inte-
rior of his home, and they had gone
away with distressed, perplexed sensi-
bilites.
He cooked his own meals on the oil
stove and, alone. ate them from the lit
tie table that stood near the heater:
eating house for lonely feast. His
rooms usually reeked with the odor' Of
boiled coffee. burned cabbage and
grease, pungent chemicals and long
suffering bed linen. OF his front
room 1t may be said that 1t was kitch-
en-. dining room, parlor, library. work
shop, laboratory and conservatory
Four flowerpots. in which as many
geraniums existed with difficulty de-
spite Droom's constant and unwaver.
ing care. occupied conspicuous place
on the window stills overlooking the
street. He watched over them with
all the tender sOlicitude Of q lover. sur
PAASAA9 oS ~ AAoJ oppCdA WhCA Ouc
pauses to consider the vicious exterior
Of the man.
broom was frugal. He was. In truth
! miser. II any one had asked him
what he expected to do with the money
he was putting away in the bank. he
could not have answered, calculating
as he was by nature. He had no rela.
tive to whom he would leave 1t, and
he had no inclination to give up tbs
habit Of active employment. His salary
was small, but he managed to save
| more than half Of it-for "rainy day. >
as he said. He did his reading and ex
perimenting by kerosene light and
went to bed by candlelight. SAVING
few pennies a week In that way. Tit
windows in his apartment were wash
ed not oftener than once a year II.
was seldom obliged to look through
them during the day. and their only
duty a. night was to provide yentila
ton. and even that was characteristic
ally meager
! He was Il man of habit. not IN >
A Poe nj 'l.ht was his only ~