The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-30
As MAN TO MAN.


was considerably wrought up over his
change of residence. occupation. air,
scenery and friends- He was doing
all the freftine for a don't worry club.
Hannibal on his way to conquer Rome
to this man.
/ I'VE arc selling off our household
Goods" said the friend. Selling them
ono by one, like the sands Of time run
i through the hourglass. My wife il
engineering the deal. She advertised
| in the paper to sell our gear and It
seems to me that every family In town
wants to buy household goods. My
wife has moved q chair up to tho tele-
notony sitting on the threshold of the
deserted house Of Usher.
women come in the morning to
look at the chairs and the beds. Men
come at night to look at the stove and
the bull pup. Little children romp
along with careless footsteps to see
the pictures taken down from the wall.
| THE dresser has been sold, and the
dining room table and the rugs and
the ice chest. eat off cracker box
and sit on the stair steps and sleep on
the lounge. The ice man saws the
chunk of ice in two pieces and puts
one in the wash boiler and the other
in the basement.
l
yesterday for a moment to drive
grim tragedy away. My little girl
went to see q friend in the next block.
She was seized by a spirit of mischief
and called up our number.
rs this Mrs. - she asked.
Eyes came the answer over the
wire.
"T understand you have household
goods for sale?'
We have replied the mistress Of
Tho houeoh.a,d
"'Wen. want to buy a porch
swing. Have you one for sale?'
THE lady-with- furniture-to-sen had
that kind of a swing and she told her
IQuestioner SO in accents that made
doubt vanish from the mind. The col
iloquy continued over the phone The
Iquestioner wanted to know il the
swing was a good one. How many
people it would hold. Had it been
taken care OF through the winter, and
SO forth, and so on.
i well, my wife answered yes to all
Questions, and added for good measure
that the swing had been in the cellar
all winter. She went on to give that
tswing's pedigree, age, condition, cir
tcumstances, disposition and other
things too numerous to mention. She
was anxious to sell the swing.
THE voice at the other end Of the
wire then went on to ask about car
ipets, a buffet, chairs and other mat
tiers that had to do with the equip
ment of a house.
my wife was as patient as Job dur
ing the early days of his Affections.
She talked rs soft and convincing over
the phone as the siren song Of Calypso.
Then the questions changed to
laughter and the daughters voice. un-
happy accents Of a joke that had gone
the full length of the journey.
MY wife hung up the telephone
lreceiver SO hard that the central Of
flee called two trouble men to locate
1.-The powder explosion that had
adjacent thereto. She walked the
house like a tiger that sought to find
its young in order to chastise the
aforementioned young.
Yes, things are coming in broken
sections and disconnected organiza-
ttions at my house these days.
I'VE are going to leave town Leave
iour good old friends. Leav the old
familiar streets and habitation. We
have lived here six years and had just
become welded to our idols. Certain
streets have become fixed in my mind
There are trees and corners and sign
boards. and buildings that have estab-
lMshed themselves as necessary scenes
on the stage Of my life.
IT feel that when I leave hero
will stand in the wings and wait in
lstage. 1 feel that will stand alone
beside the dusty properties of the
passing years and watch other actors
laugh and talk and walk the stage I
used to know.
II will miss my old friends SO much
that am afraid the dollars paid to
line on the new job will change from
gold to brass and weigh me down I'M
til my feet are weary and forget to
smile and Jest and bravely play my
tpart before the shifting throng.
IT wonder If the sun shines as
bright elsewhere as it does In Kansas.
If there will arise other friends as
good and true. Other streets and dis
tances and sands upon the shores of
life that I will love SO well.
IT wonder.
There is the major and the doctor
and Brad and K. and K. and H. and O..
the BIS and Bill and the Ms and
Ralph and Dave and the folks at the
ishop and Jay and about forty others
that / cannot name now because my
lspeech Is heavy and troubled and I
have to stumble along to another sta
. ltion down the path that Is worn by
many feet and haunted by many
memories of the men who have gone
before and left behind the people and
Things they held most dear"
The newspaper man listened grave
lily and closely to all that his friend
. had to say He saw his friend sitting
on that box to eat and sleeping on
THAT lounge to dream of mares that
Travelled in the night time. He thought
of his friends wife, who sold porch
, iswings to her first born child. And.
some way, somehow, the tears came
!, from eyes unused to weep. and he felt
THAT this was the last time he would
) write in this column about the smiles
and tears, tho games and work, the
jest and sorrow of the brave pilgrims
II <~l
| Topeka on the Kaw. And, feeling 10,
and thinking these thoughts. his heart
was heavy and his tongue was dumb
Ito property sympathize with his