The sun., 1909-06-27
HIS NElGHDORS PALL ON HIM
Mr.. SUBBUBs OBJECTS TO THg
DROPPING IN HABIT.

Mr.. SUBBUBS OBJECTS TO tbs
DROPPING IN HABIT.
Ae Likes the Felix's Next Door ana Across
the Way To Look at, but They Inter-
fere With His Desire 70 DO Nothing
And the Formal Parties Are worse.
Sometimes, observed Mr.. Sububbs.
Il find myself wondering II I'm becoming
crab. grump and a Crouch. hope
not. but I've got lot Of bad looking
symptoms. One Of these symptoms has
to do with the way I'm getting to Zee!
toward my neighbors.
Il don't speak Of neighbour In the
Biblical sense-whioh means all hands.
everybody living. mean tho people who
live In my neishborhood. the friends Of
my wife. always allude to 'em as her
friends. l like to throw tho responsibility
for my neighbors upon my wife. like
to say TO her. when my neishbors reveal
ornery little traits. Wen, they're your
friends. you know, you got acquainted
with EN-, you started this running back
and forth. or at least you encouraged IL,
and II you will persist in becoming
chummy with everybody It's your own
fault II they don't pan out. Just right.
isn't it?' ,...
"Of oourse whca pn. !. in this way
she invariably declares that have been
thicker with the neghbors we're talking
about than she ever had been, She seems
to take It for granted that because when
the neighbors run in 40 they call 1t, l
do not hurl them into the street and toes
dishwsre after them I actually do love
my neighbors as myself
Not that there's anything essentially
wrong about them. They're erninently
respectable folks, beyond all question.
The only conclusion I can reach, there
fore, with respect to my utter lack Of the
neighborly feeling is that am or am get
ting to be crab grlmp and Crouch.
Maybe it's the running in habit OF my
neighbors that has soured me. Accord
ing to my way Of thinking, neighbors ara
all right to look at. For example, like
to see the man who lives in the house to
the left OF me puttering around his front
yard. watering the grass. clipping the
hedge and that sort Of thing. I enjoy
seeing him work. ! enjoy sesins any
bpdy work.
'sThe matrons in my neighborhood, my
wife's bosom friends, present a cheerful
spectacle ss pass along in the morning,
rolling up the front curtains into wads and
doing all Of the sweeping and busting
themselves. while their housernaids stand
by and regard them approvingly.
The young women In my neighborhood
tried and tested, weighed and proved
and forever and ever sworn friends Of the
young women Of my family--untn they
get to sorapping. that is-are exceedingly
attractive and amiable looking young
persons in my view ss see them draped
by. The young cubs In my neiShborhood
are mainly well conducted boys a. I sec
them. about two blocks from where live,
playing ball and shipny and so on with
my own boys; and 90 say that my neigh
born look all right. distinctly 30. amend
the maxim, Children should be seen. not
heard, by striking out the word children
and inserting 'neigheo.s.
As l. say. l reckon it's this running
in habit that has got me Erurnped up,
In suburban places folks get acquainted
easily and then they begin to run In on
each other.
For instance when the washing is
being hung out in the back yard on Mon
household that has just moved in are
pleasantly greeted by the wife and mother
next door and the exchange Of condolences
begins right on. When the man OF the
just moved in establishment comes homo
in the evening and begins to prowl around
his grounds in his shirt sleeves to sort Of
get the lay Of the land the proprietor Of
the plant next door. also in his, shirt
sleeves. leans over the fence and volun-
teers the information that little rain d
be good for the grass.
THUS 1t 10 started. A couple Of even-
inRs later the adult members OF the t~o
families are playing Ave hundred and eat
ing sponge cake and things under the same
root, the young women OF the two plants
to We kno wn each other all their lives and
the boys OF the two outfits are telling each
other about what great and illustrious
men their respective dads are.
Theoretically this IL beautiful. In
the abstract. 90 to speak. neighborliness
Of this sort 10 delightful to contemplate
from distance.
'It leads, as I say. TO that running
In thing. Now. I'm what you would
call settled man. My wife has had me
In hand for about quarter Of century
now, 20 that I'm broken In 10 stay at home
o. nights. It's heap OF job even for
me to bring my wife to town to the theatre
about twice q month. My whole and
exclusive idea Of comfort after dinner
Is q lot Of tobacco and a lot Of lolllnr
around with the evening papers. and
suoh like but the running In habit
OF my neighbors knocks oil this.
i've Just got my cigar going we'll
and settled back to read the inside
pages Of the evening papors--l chew
up the front pages on my way home
whR the man living three or four doors
down runs in on me.
-Of course I've got to Hello. old man
him. toll him TO hang up his hat and cit
down.; and then I've got to settle back
In my chair and make believe that I'm
enjoying his views on the tariff.
-Now, this neighhor always has read
the evening paper from start TO finish
before he runs IN on me, and 80 when he
asks me: Die read about such and such
thipg?' I've got to lie and answer Yes
to prevent him from telling me all about
1t. For sure do like TO absorb the news
payer news at first hand. Then he drags
me into an argument about something
or other. Now, don't like TO argue.
but sooner or later I fall into the trap
he has set for me and begin 10 talk bols-
terously through my hat and knock my
digestive apparatus into = cooked hat.
and what's the good Of all thati Neither
my neighbor nor / amount to a leaky
boanbaR In the councils OF the nation