The Huttig news. (Huttig, Ark.) 1907-1955, 1912-10-26
Curiosity

the government in the way the census
is taken" remarked the mature Miss
Horkins There should have been a
separate list for each person, so that
IL could have been filled out and inn
mediately placed in a sealed en-
velope"
What difference does it maker"
asked her hostess.
If you lived at our boarding house
you'd think it made a difference" re-
turned Miss Horkins very positively.
"The enumerator, after finding how
many there were in the house, left four
horrid papers, each one with spaces
sufficient for a large family. and it
was extremely awkward"
Il don't see why it should have been
awkward" observed her friend my
husband attended to it for our family,
but could have done it myself just
as well. 1t is simple"
1t is all right in your own home,
but in place like our boarding house,
where everybody can read what the
others have written. it is like pro-
claiming your affairs from the house
tops. Everybody was anxious to see
what the others confessed The land
library. with a pen and ink beside
them. | was determined to wait I'M
til every one else had finished. take
one of the papers to my room, fill it
out and hand it to the enumerator my
self. But had yet to realize my land.
lady's powers of strategy
Il was very much surprised at some
of the things / read on that sheet of
paper. Mrs. Larkin's husband Is her
third. If you please. and Mr.. Jones is
a divorced man, though he has passed
himself off for bachelor. Dear old
Mrs. Blake, who doesn't care who
knows her family history or her age.
had used the wrong line all the way
Gown, so 1t read that she had been
married 40 times instead of 40 years.
Mr.. Empson had filled out his own
space. but his wife had insisted upon
doing her own, and that was the fun.
niest of all" Miss Horkins laughed
merrily.
What was there so amusing about
IT,"
In comparing her statement of her
age with that her husband had given
as the number of years they had been
married, found her wedding day
must have been somewhere around
her fifth birthday"
But how about the landlady's STRAIT.
egy?"
1 am coming to that | had Just
finished writing out my own state
ment when there was a tap at my door.
There was the landlady, who said as
mild as milk: Pardon me. Miss Hor.
kins. but | must have that list when
you are through with 1t. | had for
gotten all about Nora and as the
poor girl can't write l must do it for
her.
THAT does seem as If she had
planned 1t.
My dear, 1t was clever"
"Of course. you handed over the
record 2"
Not I. I said IF you send Nora
TO me will write 1t for her, as have
my pen and ink all ready
I could not think of giving you so
much trouble. she returned.
1t is not trouble at all, my dear
Mrs. Blenks.' | insisted. You are such
busy woman | should enjoy helping
you, even in so small a matter
You are so kind. she insisted. but
have nothing to do at the moment
and | will take the paper, if you
please
Il was growing desperate. but for
tunately Nora came upstairs just then
she is the second girl. you know
and | called her Here, Nora. said.
! want to do some writing for you
/ think Mrs Blenks would have wait
ed and taken the paper with her after
all, If some one had not asked for her
downstairs, and she left the room CON
siderably nonplused, for | think she
realized that the paper would not get
out of my clutches until it reached the
hands of the government official"
Did you succeed in your en-
deavors?"
Il did. | rarely fail in what un.
dertake. A few minutes after she left
the room Mrs. Blenks called out:
Miss Horkins, the enumerator Is here.
Send the paper down by Nora as soon
as possible
1t was no small task to get through
with Nora, | can tell you. She seemed
to think she was asked to sign away
her rights to something goodness
knows what-and as she said she
could read print had to give her the
record to look over for herself. She
is very high-tempered, and her ire was
reused by what she read: OF all the
impident questionsl she exclaimed
'Askin if I'm a Chinese or a mulatto.
and If | can spake Englishi Sure.
what else wud | spake? And all this
from President Taft. for here's his
letther on the outside, And him crazy
to know the age of livery man. woman
and child In the whole country! Mr..
Bryan niyer would have done such a
thing
Il explained to the girl the best I