The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-05-15
the kuSH
FAkER

! -aiHSL iohSi - IISn lot dnDTtllo
| mender, or maybe it's inst hobo.
| But mush faker doesn't only re-
pair umbrellas Oh. my, no! A mush
faker, mum, will tackle anything you
| can think of that needs fixing, but OF
course. umbrellas, boilers and tinware
are the commonest
This umbrella is in pretty bad
shape, hat ! can fix it so il will do
for many a storm yet and III only
charge You 80 cenn This other isn't
30 bad: that'n be a quarter.
| "As | was saving, there's nothing
. mush faker won't tackle in the line
OF tinkering and all for a little
change Tools? Oh, yes, they're all
in that little bsx carry with a strap
over my shoulder.
We'll! WalE You'll excuse me
for laughing, mum, but your ones
ton seems kind Of funny to ne who
has been at it SO long No, they don't
sell nush takers outfits anywhere
| that | know of You see there
wouldn't be anybody to buy them. A
real mush fs4er always makes his
! own kit
Il see you're looking at my fur
| mace. Looks just like the ones the
plumbers carry to melt their lead
in, doesn't it? Made that myself,
too. Oh. yes. Surprises you? It's
| simple enough.
You see the bottom it stands on!
Just look uneerneath. See, it's lit
! tie agate saucepan turned upside
| down. The body OF the furnace was
en- old-fashioned oil can, the kind
your mother kept under the big kitch-
en- table handy to fill the lamps from.
| The heavy wire handle came of
| a paint kec The other trimmings
I fashioned out of bits of tin from
cans and things.
! "Pesourceful did vou say? Well,
I don't expect ever to discover all the
! things | can do with my kit The
times change; there are new things
coming up all the time l have to FIX.
! There's automobiles.
| Now maybe you don't believe that,
mum. Many's the automobile I've
| fixed. You see, mum. l often find them
| stalled out on a country road a good
many miles from anywhere at all. If
| they can tell me what the trouble is
| I'll find way.
Yes. mum, the man for an emer-
! gercy is mush faker, whether he's
4 great man or nobody at all.
viii you hand me that other one
is q
fine frame. They don't make 'em
/ ike that any more. No, indeed. Your
| grandfather carried it, sure, / knew it.
1T doesn't take much to start man
! NJ in this business. If he has little
! piece of wire and a nail he can make
living, and ! have started on less
myself.
! when you are called in to fix an UNI
! 5rella it is simply the little wire hinge
| hat has become rusted and broken.
| The wire fixes this and the nail is
used to twist the wire and break it.
| But, IS 1 say, l have started on
less. l was put Off a freight train
| ,nce in country town when didn't
sven have the nail. But l went by
The houses calling Umbrellas to
! mend" / wasn't going to worry about
how to do it until had the job to do.
Nobody seemed to want me.
though. But / knew there must be
some broken umbrellas in that town
| It's poor home that hasn't got one
At least. So / turned about in my
tracks and went right up to the near
sst house. To the woman that came
4! TO the door said:
Haven't you an umbrella with q
broken rib? l viii fix it for ten cents
! Just as though l had been sent there
/ for that purpose.
Sure enough, back she comes with
The familiar dangling joint. 1t was an
! Did fashioned umbrella with a wooden
stick. The handle was deeply carved
and Of different kind of wood from
The stick. l knew right away that
! they didn't belong to each other.
Have you got the old umbrella
hat this handle came off Off said /.
If you have / can use it to mend this
! with
Well, mum, she hunts up that old
! umbrella and in a few minutes walk
away with ten cents capital and a
| stock Of half dozen good ribs. After
| that / was ready to do any ordinary
job in the town.
|. Yes. mum, this gum tissue is won
| ierful stuff / can fasten the handle
On that little girls parasol with it
Let me see it, my little lady. Oh,
amt you the image of your mother,
though. Anybody with half an eye
,ould see it.
Yes. mum, ! list wind it about, so,
heat it with the candle and press it
down hard Now let it rest there for
q few minutes and ii will be as firm
as ever
You haven't anything else to fix,
mum? Well, that,n be IS and Is and
ten for the little parasol. That makes
- Yes, mum, 20 cents
BLESS you, mum, / couldn't change
dollar. haven't penny about me,
mum Now that's too bad What viii
| do Oh, thank you mum. But I'll
surrey make il up to Won if i ever
come this way again. That ! win
Thank you and good day, mum.
U-u-u-m-m-brellas t. mendi"