The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-12
From the New York Press.

fTOm Tue new I OTK PTeSS.
A beautiful new umbrella had been
presented to young Mr.. Dibble 1t had
come from Cordelia with wfely love. 1t
vas made of the best silk serge and had
a knobby handle. quite manly and cor
rect in design Mr.. Dibble took 1t with
him to the office on Monday morning, as
1t looked like rain, and fulfilled its
promise about noon. On his way home
that night he ran across a man he knew.
IT'S a beasty night, old boy re-
marked the man, humping Horatio on
the back, as they passed a certain wet
&c DDS emporium on the way to the IT,
station. Come on in and have one with
ne-just one; I'm drenched to the skim
Mr.. Dibble was also wet and cold, and
tired and thirsty, and yearning for little
liquid comfort, but he had cut that sort
OF thing out recently; that is to say, he
only had a few, and only those on rare
occasions when Cordelia was visiting
mother out in Orange county. Cordelia
didn't like wet goods, either for herself
or for Horatio, and Cordelia's nose.
though blunt In contour, was sharp In
other respects.
Horatio hesitated wistfully, torn be-
tween desire and duty, but, catching an
expression In his friends eye that would
bA contempt If he didn't check 1t at once,
he hustled in after him, weighted with a
SeHSo OI lIIlp6HulnB Trouble.
"Cordelia doesn't like it" he feebly
began.
"Oh! don't worry. I've got a pocketful
OF cordamom seeds. There won't be a
trace Of anything after you've bitten a
couple of these-youre enough to make
any one tired"
Saying which he ordered a couple of
down the proper channels, and spread
smiles in their wake.
T. I, L..
of the bar, turned to his friend and said !:
Lets have another"
well, now you're fixing" said the
friend.
Ten minutes must have passed, and Mr..
Dibble hastily prepared to take his leave
OF the Palace of Conviviality He reached
for his umbrella and, sure enough-it was
not there. The umbrella of Cordelia.
Sounds like a first lesson in French
But really there was horror in the
thought. The umbrella of Cordelia had
clearly been .purloined, annexed, abstract
ed. abducted. lifted, pinched!
Poor Dibble stared In dumb consterna-
ton at the corner of the bar where he
had stood Cordelia's gift What could he
tell her had happened to it? She knew
he had taken 1t from the house that
morning, and to say he had left 1t at the
Office wouldn't exactly hold, since it had
suppose those cordamom seeds didn't
work right, after all, and Dibble should
have both sins to answer for! He cursei
the fate that had sent the thirsty friend
across his homeward path. But the
friend at this point made suggestion.
TITS bum luck, and no mistake; but IL
were you I'd save money on buying a
new one. Just run around to the nearest
pawn shop and pick one up for 70 cents.
dana that m a tfrne car of
a really fine umbrella that way. Hoboes
and things drop in and sell 'em outright
for a Understandable they pinch or
find around, you know, in parks and like
of that It's the best thing you can do
now"
Horatio followed a straight line to the
nearest loan office, laid three quarters
on the counter and said succinctly:
"Cmbrella-best you got for that"
The man passed one out to him. He
grabbed 1t and made dash for home
and Cordelia-his brain fairly buzzing
with his effort to fran tale to meet re-
quiremente.
Cordelia herself came to the door when
she heard his key wavering over thu
Yalo lock. &
"Oh. Horatio, how wet you must be!
feet damp? What terrible night! Let
me take your umbrella. Why, Horatio,
how odd you look! Has anything hap
pened? Give me your umbrella, Horatio."
Oh, yes, the umbrella. of course! How
absent minded of him to be holding 1t
behind his back that way. Well, he
might as we'll make the plunge and de-
pend for salvation on the inspirations of
the moment. He handed it over and
braced himself.
Cordelia opened the kitchen door and
stood the umbrella in the sink. Just like
that! And never word said She Mr..
Dibble, meanwhile. had started an ami
mated monologue touching on and apper-
tanning to every irrelevant subject unde-
the weeping heavens Suddenly realizing
that Cordelia showed no concern what
ever about the umbrella, he began to
wonder II she were ill-on the verge Of
fever-perhaps4 unconscious! He glanced
at her sharply. She was placing upon the
table the hamburger steak, with onions,
to all appearance quite as normal as
usual.
Horatio blinked. Could she have failed
to notice the alien umbrella, or was she
purposely bottling up the explosion! He
resolved to remove 1t to some more Sc
cluded spot where her eye would be less
likely to rest upon 1t. and thus tempo
rarity avert the verbal catac1ysm. He
haetened to the sink.
NOW. remember that words have their