Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-08

she began, doubtfully. Her husband
put down his paper with resigned
sigh.
Eyes, Matilda" he said, "of course
| I'll get it for you. What is it?"
cts yard and three-quarters of
pink Powered chintz to finish my XII
mono,' replied Mrs. Alligator, sweet
ly. "I'll give you the sample"
Mr.. Alligator stirred his coffee
viciously 81 hate matching samples"
he said. 81 always get the wrong
thing"
"Nonsense!" said his WIFE placidly.
Here's the sample, and all you have
to do is to go to Bingham Brothers
and ask them to give you yard and
three-quarters exactly like this. It's
twenty-five cents a yard. You'd better
run along quick. hear the train
whistle" and she helped him on with
his overcoat
AS Mr.. Allibator crawled dismally
down the front path he said to him
self, I declare, that's just the trou-
BILE with living so far away from the
cities. always have a hundred dozen
things to do when l go down town.
declare I think I'll spend next winter
in a park ZOO
When he reached the station the
train was already there, but he soon
found freight car with the door in
willingly open. and scuttled inside, for
being only an alligator he wasn't al
lowed to ride in the parlor car. In
fact, he wasn't even allowed to ride
in the freight car, SO that's why he
scuttled inside and hid in dark cor
rer till after the train had started.
When it was we'll under way Manuel
took off his coat and rolled it up into a
pillow, and lay down on the floor. He
always did this, and his wife often
wondered how he got SO many wrin-
kles in his coat. The darkness and the
rocking molten of the rain soon sooth-
ed him to sleep, and he was just
dreaming that his wife insisted on
making him an overcoat of the blue
Powered chintz when the car stopped.
The door was flung open and the con-
ductor put in his head.
Jimmy crickets" exclaimed the
asleep in the car, and he got a broom
and poked at Manuel in a gingerly
manner.
'Yard'n three-quarters Of blue chintz
like the sample murmured Manuel
drowsily as he opened one eye. When
he saw the conductor he opened the
other eye In a hurry.
"Tickets, pleased" cried the conduc-
tor. He always said that when he
couldn't think of anything else to say.
But the minute Manuel took one step
toward him his presence of mind
came back to him, and he turned and
tore down the platform at full speed.
He was not used to being found in bag
gage cars, so he tore down the plat
form In the other direction as hard as
he could, and hid trembling under a
pile of strawberry crates.
The conductor would have been run
ming yet if he hadn't accidentally
| bumped into an old lady with a green
parrot in a large cage, who had come
down to the station to meet her hus-
band. This old lady was his mother-in-
law, and though he was afraid of ALI
gators he stopped to apologize.
"Why, William, said the old lady
"were you coming to greet me? It's
nice to have you so fond of me, but
don't be so impetuous next time. Have
| YOU Sceu LILY huoDdiu dly NliSi =
around? We're going shopping at Cling.
ham Brothers. If you find him tel
him I'll wait for him in the waiting
room" and the old lady picked up the
parrot cage and trotted off.
William did not have time to hunt
for the old lady's husband, for just
then the whistle blew and he had to
jump on board.
When the station was quiet again
Manuel crawled softly out from under
the strawberry crates and made his
way cautiously down the platform TIC
the ticket Office window.
Manuel, quite out of breath, crawl
| ed up to the foot.
Come down please" he, painted
I'm in a hurry
| 'I WON'T" said Mr. Bangs firmly
and he climbed higher.
well. then. will you please tell ms
| the way to Bingham Bros.?" sai<
Manuel, because I've got to matct
| some chintz for my wife's kimono AM
I'm in a hurry. There's conductor
coming after me for ticket and
haven't any"
"Is that what you're been runnins
after me for?" demanded Mr.. Bangs
angrily.
| tickets, please! llckelS, please
| Tickets, pleased" cried the parrot.
Manuel turned at bay, rs that whG
I've been running away from?" h
cried Indignantly, when he saw tt?
lAparrot.
go away from my front yard!" ASH
Mrs. Bangs severely. how dare 70,
chase my husband UP a tree?"
II was just going," said Manue,
"can you please tell me where Cling
ham Bros. is?"
"Just around the corner" answered
Mrs. Bangs and Manuel thanked hei
and made off as fast as he could.
When he got there he couldn't re
member if his wife had said pink o
blue chintz. but he rather thought
was blue. And he bought ten yards .
it. because he didn't remember hov
much he was to get.
When he came home that evenin
and showed it to his wife she jus
looked at him and said Manuel"
; But when she heard he had left hi
overcoat on the train she insitsed o
making him new one out of the blu
: chintz; so ManuePs dream came true
and his wife told him very kindly
didn't make any difference about nj
having made that mistake in the colcl
because he could go to town the mex
day and get the pink chintz just &