The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-13

the former superintendent had gone to
a more important Job, and the contrae-
tor had put in charge of finishing the
Carroll house a red checked youth Just
back from Paris, who could drawn pref
tv pictures of cathedrals, but knew
nothing about screwing on back doors
SO while Fred was trying to earn money
to pay for the extras this young man
would enter without knocking (no one
knocks on unfinished doors) and ask
Fred s confidential advice about hang
ing window weights. He did not dare
ask the men, for fear they would laugh
at him. Finally Fred remarked one
day, "See here, my boy, | would like
to teach you your job if / had the time
and understood more about it. But / I'm
almost as ignorant as you are. Besides,
as I've got 10 pay for your work as
well as do it, don't you thing it would
be rather nice to give me chance to
earn some money for the purposeF'
The youth blinked at this complieat-
ed subtlety. and departed. He never
bothered Fred again, but every time
they met on the stairs he blinked.
1t was not because the children play
ed with the floor planners tools, nor yet
paint made them i'll, that the CAROLS
finally gave up the fight and decamped.
It was because of the construction OF
the furnace fresh-air fiue. The hot and
cold water pipes ran along the cellar
ceiling at right angles to the direction
of this proposed fiue on the blueprint.
Therefore, the honest wOrkmen, desi-
rous of that "joy of making things
come out the way you want them to, :"
thoughtfully let the pipes run through
the fresh air box, thus subjecting them
to a temperature a little colder than
out-of-doors. With the third week of
November came a cold snap. Result
unnecessary to describe, also impossi-
BILE
In after days, when the house found
itself and became a joy to them; when,
covered with vines and the tone or
time, it rested palcidly upon its we'll
trimmed terrace with the guileless ex-
preston of a child peacefully dreaming
in its cradle, little knowing how it had
caused brave woman to weep, strong
man to swear-in those serene after
days the CAROLS sometimes inquired
of new acquaintances if they, too, had
gone through the ordeal of house build
in, And if, perchance, the answer was
yes, there straightway sprang up a
strong bond of mutual interest and
they looked upon one another with a
new and sympathetic understanding.
| "They knew! They, too, had been
through it,"
But this is anticipating.
After reseuing his family from the
not quite Finished" but now entirely
flooded house (for, of course, the froz-
en- water pipes burst), Fred called
conference of the powers. He spoke
well chosen words to them.
The architect agreed with everything
the owner said and blamed it to the
general contractor. The general con-
tractor blamed it to the plumbing con-
tractor, etc, etc, as usual. 1T was
long wrangle, and was getting nowhere.
Suddenly thew were all interrupted by
the owner. who hammered upon the UNI
finished bookcase for silence. 'Gen-
tlemen." said Carroll with the sane
tilted calm of one who is beyond emo
ton. ''You are all mistaken. 1t was
nv fault. l was fool enough to want
to build house Now get busy"
With that he joined his family at the
(verv expensive) inn, whittier he had
previously dispatched them. There,
sinking luxuriously into deep chair
before a cheerful fire, he lit cigar,
stroked his fond wife s hand and, sigh
ing. said, "There s no place like home
thank heaven for that!''