Gilpin observer., 1909-10-28

Glib does legerdemain. He grabs
your handkerchief df you are a wom-
am, pats it to nothing, and then f1ut-
ters 1t an inch at time out of his
ear; or he seizes your umbrella, swal-
lows 1t with fearful choking contor.
tions, then forces it slowly out of his
trouser leg. Mrs. Gibb-heaven help
us!--is the unwearied chronicler of
her childrens brightness" Bellies
specially is occultism; she does the
palmistry, the psychic force, the
thought-transference, hypnotism and
spirit-rappings. Nell is the coon sing
er. Nell is undeniably hard to stand.
MA baby" ma lady" and ina honey"
seem to stick out all over her like
rays on the pictured advertisement of
electric belts.
The six of them feel that they are
the life of the neighborhood. And
so they are. perhaps, if life means
gabble, giggle, glitter and gibberish.
They also honestly feel that they are
literary, artistic and musical; whereas
in literature they contine themselves
to novels and the short story maga-
zines, in art to the collecting of post
ers and in music to popular songs and
comic opera. From the mighty, on
rushing current of human events, the
Gibbs scoop up only froth. They can
make bright" remarks lending in
"ski'O about the Russo-Japan war and
they are rich in mosquito jokes when
the yellow fever situation is men,
toned. but they have never been
heard to express an intelligent opin-
ION In regard to any one of the thou
sand items of public interest which
engage the attention Of the thoughtful
The Gibbs name their dog Per
chance" and their cat Guess" Both
names are supposed to be exquisitely
funny and both show an exercise of
that peculiar type of intelligence
which seems to appeal to the Gibbs
as worth while. Our dog is named
after Lord Byron's canine" they say.
Lord Byron's?" you ask. Yes. Don't
you remember his touching line, Per
chance my dog will whine in vain till
fed by stranger hands?'" You are ex-
pected to laugh heartily at this. Then.
should you ask the name of the cat.
If you are unwary, you do guess.
They permit you, like Byron's dog, to
howl in vain long list of names, then
explain the matter to you and more
cachinnation is expected
| With the Gibbs humor the cream of
the joke is always the discontinue of
the other fellow. They want to be
amiable and friendly and would be
hurt and angry to hear it limited that
/ they are not. With them smartness is
the prime essential. So keen are they
on the trail of joke that when they
discuss their acquaintances justice is
! often crowded to the wall. Piety is
always sacrificed to a pun. They are
| entirely too anxious to be clever ever
to be the least bit sympathetic. They
make you laugh, 1t is true; but after
you leave their lively home you re-
member that you have mostly laughed
at their exaggerated description of
another's idiosyncrasies and you are
uncomfortably sure that by now they
are keeping the roomful giggling at
you. 1t is then that you begin to Ques-
tion the kindness of the Gibbs high
spirits. You question it also on the
score of economy. For instance: as
, the years go by, Nell's voice will fade
and the coon songs will fade, too;
where then will be Nell? Belle will
weary of the mystic, or her friends
will; and where then will be Belle?
Business, matrimony, birth and death
will unpun Ben and take the necro-
NANCY out of Jack. That done. there
will not be much left of Ben and Jack
but cuffs, collars and patent leather
toes. Looking to the future, one
seems lugubriously forced to admit
that Old Glib has chosen the safest
cult; he can go on his profane way
to the end of the chapter. But at the
end of the chapter-what?
We, the neighborhood, encourage
the Gibbs shamefully by asking them
to all our parties, because they make
such a big noise and laugh so easily
and uproariously that they make our
affairs sound very successful from the
outside. Nobody ever snubbed the
Gibbs but Edith King. But that was
only when she knew she was going to
move out of the city.