The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-31
iction
HER GIANT FOLDING BED.
BY c. q. LOOMS.

bed. They lived on the sixth floor i'm a
small verooms-and a-bath-steam-he heat
ed-allimprovements fat. and he said
that such a huge folding bed was
out Of all proportion TO the size of the
bedroom. But Mrs. Bentley had set her
heart on 1t, and Mr.. Bentley has not
been husband so long as to feel like
thwarting any legitimate wish.
When she went down to the store
she found she was just I'm time to get
one at half price. What luck! She had
expected to pay S35 for the bed. and
she got It at S2j, although by what
/ process Of arithmetic twenty-five be.
comes the half Of thirty.fve she did
not stop TO inquire.
/ But with the reduced price Of the
/ bed her good luck ended. and she en-.
I tered upon a chapter of annoyances
/ that would have made the bed dear as
| gratuity.
The bed people were just moving out
and were too busy to send the he'd
home Five separate expressmen re.
fused to stir their wagons when they
learned that It was n giant She began
to wish that 1t was trundle bed. But
Mt last an expressman who was Just
starting in business and who was
therefore inexperienced contracted for
50 TO deliver it.
So she went and waited for the bed
with all the ardor of child. Every
time the dumb waiter whistle blew she
ran out to see If they were trying to
send 1t up that way, but when 1t final
ly arrived after wait of four hours
1t came In at the front door.
After ten minutes or so Mrs. Bentley
heard mastodonlc footsteps on the
stairs, the swish of tearing wall paper,
the crash of falling globes, and she
knew that they were bringing the bed
upstairs. So did all the other fat
dwellers. When she looked over the
staircase there were from three TO
four heads beneath her, all looking
down.
The arrival at different landings was
punctuated by the crash Of glass and |
the fall Of plaster. And on the third |
floor the bed fell on one of the men. |
Luckily he was a fat German, and he
escaped with barked shin and a mis-.
laid temper.
Long before that there was n string |
OF home returning heads of families
separated from their little ones by the |
Chinese wall Of a bed. Those who |
were athletic enough climbed over and |
to their apartments, but the
rest had to content themselves with |
throwing kisses to their beloved ones
and telling them not to despair.
Mrs. Bentley had not hitherto known
here were so many people living In
he house. The stairs were black with
hem, and the bed moved with the de-
Iteration of a glacier.
When the men reached the fourth
ioor they clamored for beer, and Mrs.
Bentley, being inexperienced, sent for
.wo bottles, which were brought in by
he janitor's son.
The two men sat down, or, rather,
Up, way up, on the bed and opened a
bottle apiece amid groans from the be-
ated fat dwellers who lived above the
hird. 1t Is probable that they had al
'eady solaced themselves with beer.
or they became very merry and To-
luacious after the bottles had been
'mptled, and many OF their Jokes
would not have been allowed at a va.
iety theater.
There Is a saying that there is al
Ways room at the top. This did not
rove to be the case In regard to the
liant bed. The hallway at the top fiat
vas joint affair, two suits opening
N 1t, and It was the narrowest In the
When the men finally arriv-
d with their tremendous load they
ound that 1t was going to be a Chi.
ese puzzle TO get into Mrs. Bentley's.
hey shattered the last globe and
hen sat down on the stairs to ponder.
They finally came TO the conclusion |
nat they could not get 1t in unless the
oor of the opposite apartment were
pened to admit Of its being slowed
round.
Mrs. Cochran was the opposite neigh
or. She and Mrs. Bentley had bC.n
distant as such contiguous fiat
wellers could be. Their bows in the
all were as icy as the hall itself. Mrs.
ochran thought Mrs. Bentley a fool
h little new wife, and Mrs. Bentley
fought Mrs. Cochran common.
Still there was nothing for It but TO
SIX Mrs. Cochran to open her front
Dor and let the man swing the bed 4
TO the doorway for Just one moment. {
The fat man rang her bell. She open.
the door, with fire in her eyes. She
ld been trying 10 get the youngest to
eep, and the constant humping and '
nshing and the ObJurgations and a
,ery laughter OF the eXpressmen had |
lied the not too placid waters OF her /
sposition TO n foaming point. a
Mrs. Cochran glowered \
"Oh" said Mrs. Bentley. with has 4
~ made veneer Of sweetness MAY \
e men just swing the bed into your
Illway so that they can get 1t into b
y doorway? | didn't suppose It was n
big. ! don't think II was so big In
g store" 4
Mrs. Cochran shifted at the inanlty
the remark. but she said Il
'Oh, | suppose cannot refuse. !
'pe you'll quit Your humping after Z
u get II In. | can't get my child 10 | ,