The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-25
bu HARRIS oMERTON
 LYON

tered something he did not catch. and thinking 1t might be an insult to him. he questioned her. She replied with suberb elocution:
 "Mr. Feeny is gentleman and always pays his board week in advance"
 When she had repeated this seemingly irrelevant remark fourteen times in rapid succession. MT Hicks deposes that only because he what dis tressful state she was in did he borrow the quarter back from her. Whereupon the phenomenon ceased.
 But the thing had now become quite common. Mrs. Lane seemed thoroughly saturated with the idea She acclaimed it whenever the iceman twrled the ice at her; whenever MT. Joe Toole. who old and gentlemanly bartender turned his dia. mand stud upon her; whenever she crocheted and watched the flashing needles; whenever she laid out the sflverware; whenever she listened to the ticking of the clock and looked at the pendulum. It always the The trance produced the tenacious assertion that MT. Feeney ahead with his board bill! It never took any other form. For instance. it forced her to make the boast about Mr. Chappy Hicks Not even the Hicks laundry bill was thus shifted to the credit side of the ledger although the happy-go-lucky runner-up thereof had invested dime secretly in a gaudy pamphlet titled How to Become Hypnotist A Science Full of Both Pleasure and Profit" and had practiced it's rules industriously upon the goat-eyed MT. Toole and apoplectic Colonel Fitz. sometime British Army officer, who occupied the third floor back.
 MT. Hicks couldn't do it. But MT. Feeny could. Mir reeny not only had Mrs. Lane believing that she in his debt, but he worked his magic on other members of the household. He once had Colonel Fiz shave himself four times in the same morning He went of and left Mnnie the "slavey." trying to put her thumb on rose in the wall paper-a deli. cate operation which she pursued for some four hours to the utter neglect of the beds and the sweep ing. He had old Mrs Blumenstock, who rather against her will mustache. removing the same. also against her will, offending hair by of lending hair, with pair of wire nippers. He had Tompkfns. the natty bank clerk 90 to work without a collar on under the impression that piece of twine carefully tied in bow his Adams apple was the latest thing in neckwear These injured persons. by one. ned from the Lane establish ment. while MT. Feeny grinned in ghoulish xlee.
 You probably know-or rather knew-Mr Feeny. You may have stood in line before the box ofHce of that vaudeville house on Broadway New York which for weeks had it's entrance the great electric sign. PHRENZO As you stood in line you probably the big boardful of photographs of a Svengaliike person (only the proboscis H. bernian), whose eyes glared at you from dozen terrifying angles and whose title shrieked at you: "Phrenzo the Man With the Haunting Eyes," In your seat. you probably sat and gazed awestricken at trembling. dashing demon in evening dress who made whole stageful of palsed youths do his slightest desire. You recall how he held them for five minutes at time in 2 trained attitude with his ghastiy cry of Hike marble-now!" You saw him
 
 1awed boy until that boy became stiff steel and three men could stand his chest while he was bridged between two chairs You watched him make them think they were dogs, goats. mules, tomcats He jabbed needles through their wrists without ing them. He blistered the palms of their hands with cold pennies.
 That was Mr. Feeny. who got $250 week and lost $248 of 1t on the When, you think of it. it is small wonder that poor Mrs Lane, with her weak eyes, wandering wits, and motherly heart. continued to speak her pathetic piece and see her boarders leave her by one.
 And there boubt they leaving. Colonel Fitz had All the lady stenographers, house eto-house canvassers. and retired widows had gone. Only MT Joe Toole. the unmpressible. and Mr. Chappy Hicks. the irrepressible. remained view the dominance of Feeny
 Poor old dame." murmured MT. Hicks. com. muncatively. to Mr. Toole morning over his coffee Mir Hicks had rapid. exclamatory style of conversation which jumped from punctuation point to punctuation point and sounded like the heavy melody of nat-wheeled street "The whole place is on the bum. Nobody left. and them that are is dippy The new cook put salt instead of sugar in the cake! Buing in the tapioca pudding Fancy dishes. both of 'em! And sugar in corned beef and cabbage! Not fancy Still spoilable Toole spoilable-and she spoiled Even the ca, had fits the other day! He couldn't get his dope cat could he! Nav, Lldnt tnlnk Still. tne Ca, had fits! My roonl! Broke pltcner! There's the postman now. blowin whistle Nice cuss. Says Mrs Lane looked of buttons day be- fore yesterday-you know. shiny brass-and began telling him chat MT. F'eeny gentleman and the rest He tapped hls Thinks she's nut ty" He paused If hit in the pit of the stomach with forceful idea By cookie. Toole wonder If she is?"