The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-04-05
MEND|NCAFAuCET
An Easy Job That Mr.. Gimp Tao
kIed With Confidence.
IT GAVE HIM A BIG SURPRISE.

When He Got Through, or a. Near
THROUGH a. Hs Was Permitted to
Get, He Was Rather subdued-Ths
PLUMBERS Comment Was Quite Brief.
Mr.. Gimp came home from the city
the other day and burst into his house
with an air that meant business. He
smiled when the maid told him his
wife was out. laid parcel on the
stairs, took of his coat, rolled up his
sleeves. took his parcel and went up
to the bathroom, where he opened the
package. 1t contained monkey
wrench, q screw driver, half dozen
assorted rubber washers and a pipe
wrench.
THANK goodness, my wife's not
homer said Mr.. Gimp. III there In
anything upsets a man it is the foolish
questions a woman asks when he is
trying to do a job. Plumber! She'd
get a plumber to mend leaky faucet,
would she7 I'll show her that man
Of intelligence can do job In five min
utes that plumber would take all day
to do and charge IS. Now!"
Mr.. Gimp turned the faucet. Not a
drop Of water came out. He turned
the other. 1t was dry. They were the
bathtub faucets. and the far one had
been leaking for a week, while Mr..
Gimp promised day by day to attend
to it.
"Well," said Mr.. Gimp as he saw
that no water came out Of the faucets.
that's more sense than thought that
woman possessed. Turned OF the wa.
ter. did she? Didn't let it run all day
when there was no need Of 1t, hey
Nowv
Mr.. Gimp took the monkey wrench
in one hand and the pipe wrench in
the other and climbed into the bath
tub. Then he sat on the edge while
he studied the faucet.
"Lemme seey' he said. "You take OF
that handle. and you unscrew that tor
dingus. That's what you do" So hi
did that. Twice the monkey wrench
slipped and he skinned three knuckles
but he got the handle off. and he un
screwed the cap and pulled out the roc
that held the washer. Then he peeret
down into the remaining portion of tn,
faucet and looked at the washer.
The washer seemed in good condi
ton. He peered into the faucet ani
ran his finger around in 1t, accuniulat
ing iron rust on 1t. If the washer wa.
not broken what could be the matter
with the thing? There must be some
thing the matter deeper down. He Sc
his pipe wrench around the pipe ani
grasped the faucet with the monkey
wrench. The faucet held like grin
death. The more 1t resisted the NOR,
he pushed and pulled and grunted ant
said strong words. =
When the faucet gave at last It CAV,
suddenly. and Mr.. Gimp fell over tn,
side Of the bathtub and landed with (
bump that shook the house. He wa!
up again in a minute and in the bath
tub. The faucet was badly marret
where the wrench had dug into 1t,
soft brass. and the nose of It wa.
twisted awry, but the faucet was off
He took the faucet to the window an(
studied It. Except for the damage b,
had done 1t. there seemed nothing tn,
matter with II.
Some fool plumber" said Mr.. Gimy
angrily. "has put the wrong sort O
washer into this faucet. That's what
the matter. and that's all"
He picked out a different sort O
washer and put 1t on the plunger. I
was not good at. but it was q. chang
anyway.
Now" said Mr.. Gimp, and h
climbed back into the bathtub. H,
bumped himself dowr. on his knee
and looked into the water pipe OF
which he had to screw the faucet
Now" he said. Iii
AS II that had been the signal,
strong. vigorous stream Of water sho
out Of the pipe aud struck Mr.. CHM
In the eye. He gasped for breath an,
tumbled backward. But the strean
pursued him. He got up and crap
pied with the stream.
Unless you have tried to grappl
with a stream like that you canno
even faintly imagine the difficulty o
giving 1t good. self satisfying grap
pie. A stream like that will not flgh
fair. II you put your hand over tn
pipe the stream will squirt out in for
ty-two directions. Some Of them hi
the ceiling. Most Of them hit MI
Gimp. He wrestled silently until tn
bathroom was wen soaked and he wa
well soaked. and then be decided
was better just to let the stream squirt
It spdrted into the bathtub anyway
80 Tie got out Of the tub and drippe,
on the floor and paved water out o
ms hair and wiped water out Of hi
eyes
And Just then the plumber came up
seairs again. He had been down eel
Tar to turn on the water after he hat
liked the faucet. and It was quite nat
prai that he should come up again t,
see II the faucet was well fixed. 8,
ne came up. and he looked into tn,
bathroom. and he saw the faucet "
Ing in the bathtnb among wrenche,
and water. and he saw the wate
squirting heartily.
And all he said was. well, I'll b,
turned" Just like that-"Well. II
HNn