Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-10-09
BOMBA
By MARGARET BARR

HollingsWOrth had views as to in
dustrial questions. financial matters
and principles of government. He
read the newspapers regularly and
was much interested in strikes and
methods used as auxiliaries. He lived
on a street at the end of which was
a large mill property and when one
day a strike was declared did a great
deal of talking as to the merits of the
case. At first he took sides with the
strikers, but when they became some
what militant he changed about and
favored the mill wners. Nothing
pleased him so well as to so out into
the street where knots Of people were
discussing the situation II make it
all clear to those who We're disposed to
listen to him.
One day while he was thus showing
a party Of strikers just where they
We're wrong and how easy it would be
to set themselves right his wife. who
was at the window, noticed-what he
was ignorant of-that he was rubbing
his listeners the wrong way. Instead
OF b%enefiting by his diplomatic advice
their scowls indicated that they were
considering him an enemy. His wife
beckoned him to come into the house.
He obeyed and received a scolding for
his rashness.
Two or three days after this. when
Mr.. Hollingsworth came home from
business in the evening. as soon as he
opened the door he was greeted by a
plaintive vail.
"Oh. Fred!!"
For heavens sake, what is it, dar-
ling"'
why did you talk so to those Ital-
ians?"
What have they done?" i
left a bomb at the back door,"
"You don't mean it?"
"Oh, Pm SO glad you've got home!
I've been afraid it would go off before
you came"
"Why didn't you telephone the po-
lice?"
II didn't know what to do. The bomb
was left about half an hour ago. Su-
san came upstairs and told me that
she had found it at the back door just
inside the she'd"
what did she say she found?"
ga basket. How she knew it was a
bomb was that she heard a grating
sound like rusty machinery. She
didn't wait to hear any more. but came
right upstairs to me and told me
about it,"
"I'l have a look at it."
"Oh. don't go near it! Please don't".'
Notwithstanding this appeal, Mr..
en- to the back door. His wife caught
him by the coattail and held him to
prevent his examining it. Making a
virtue of necessity, he stopped and lis
tened. There was a succession of small
sounds which Mr.. Hollingsworth at
tributed to the moving of some mech
anism.
"Do come away!!' cried his wife. tug
ging at his coattail.
There's something going inside, but
1 can't make out what it is" said the
husband.
W. VI ChC UooNCC was SoNSASu
with a thin wooden cloth, and at that
moment the latter was raised as if
something were passing under it.
by Jove.'' exclaimed Hollingsworth.
1T looks as if the mechanical con-
t%rivance underneath were rubbing
against the cover-a c%oncentric wheel,
maybe"
Mrs. Hollingsworth shrieked and
dragged her husband back into the
hall. The occasion Of her action was
a tiny puff as if a few grains Of gun
powder had exploded.
This is all nonsense" said the head
of the house. ''I'm going to make an
examination"
At this Mrs. Hollingsworth slammed
the kitchen door and locked it. For
some time no threats or %pleadings
would induce her to open it. but finally
she gave way. and the door was open.
ed. The cover of the basket had been
pushed off. and a pair of baby legs were
mingled in confusion. the cover being
wrapped around the legs. which were
kicking in a lively manner
"By thunder!" exclaimed Holdings.
worth. Its a baby"
THE dear little thing" cried the
wife as she ran toward a child a few
weeks old lying on it's back, it's chubby
fists crammed in it's mouth and making
all sorts Of noises. from the turning of
a rusty cogwheel to the growing of a
young rooster. The explosion they had
heard was an infantile sneeze.
Lucky we didn't send for the po-
lice" said the husband. It'll we found
out what it was. They would have
laughed at us. What in the world are
we going to do with it."
I'm going to keep it," said the wife.
Going to keep it,"
Certainly"
The couple. having been married four
years without children, had begun to
think that they would never have any
born to them. and after a good deal Of