The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-29
THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR

door, Salo the woman with the ex-
pansive society smile. Il am sure that
| have done all could to be neigh.
borly ever since they took the house
let me see-two years ago it is now.
nearly. called on them in the first
place, although l really don't believe
in being too intimate with people lust
because they happen to rent a house
next door to one; but in this case
Mrs. Glenwood spoke to me about
them. She said they were really yerv
nice people and 30 called.
They are very nice people in some
respects-at least Mrs. Park is-but
very peculiar, my dear. AS I say. |
did my best to be nice to them and
when they were TN their moving mud.
die told them n there was anything
that could do for them to be sure
and let me know. Well. they didn't
happen to want anything, suppose.
for they didn't say 30 then, but In less
than three weeks after that Mr.. Parks
came to the door and wanted to Dor.
row my stepladder. You know / al.
ways keep my stepladder down in
the basement and it was quite a lot
Of trouble to. go down and get it, but
Mr.. Peabody happened to be at home
and he brought it up and gave it to
Mr.. Parks. l don't mind saying that
| was annoyed, but l am sure that l
didn't show it. And, my dear, they
kept that ladder over a day before
they brought it back and then there
was speck of whitewash on it that
am sure wasn't there when l lent it
to them. I'm sure l would have no.
ticed if there had BEEN Mr.. Peabody
always tells me l am so particular
about my things, but good gracious!
II people didn't take care of things
they never would have things, would
they?
Then there was the lawn mower.
was out moving the lawn one morn
ing. You know Mr.. Peabody isn't home
once month hardly and l have to
NOW it myself or else get man to
do it and that is so expensive, you
know. And then men are careless
with things. Well, Mr.. Parks was
sitting on his front steps and he vol
unteered to do it for me- I need the
exercise, anyway he said. But do you
know, as soon as he got through with
my lawn he wheeled the mower across
the walk and moved his own, just as
coolly! And as If that wasn't enough,
he took 1t on to the Wespers', next
door to him, and moved theirs. May
as we'll trim up the neighborhood
while we are about it, he said, laugh
ing as If it was good joke. Of course
the lawns aren't large, but just think.
And then l recommended laun-
dress to, Them and went in to give
them her address, and one time when
they were out / let the express peo-
pie leave package for them and took
it in to them myself. l assured them
that it wasn't any trouble-and it real
ly wasn't so very much, you know
only it might occur too often.
But it was about the telephone I
was going to tell you. They didn't
have telephone put in. Mr.. Parks
said he didn't care to have one until
he made up his mind whether he
wanted to take the house for a year,
and / told them, of course, that they
we're very welcome to use mine at any
time. They said it was very kind of
me, and so it was, think, but didn't
think they would be making a public
convenience of my house. They came
in-oh, several times. They always
apologized, but that didn't make it
any more convenient for me to be an
swering the door and letting them in
and letting them out again. Once or
twice l was clear up to the top of the
house and had to go clear downstairs.
| was always Just as pleasant as could
be, but l think they understood that
didn't care much about it, and they
stopped coming until Mrs Parks ILL
ness and then Mr.. Parks began COM
ing again-to call the doctor. 1t
seemed to me, though, that he needn't
have always left it until it became an
emergency. OF course in case of
sickness / wouldn't think of refusing
anybody and l like to be neighborly.
But aren't people peculiar sometimes?
Well, thank goodness, they had
about stopped bothering me until last
week, when there came ring at the
phone and somebody said: Is this
Mrs Peabody l said Yes and then
the woman--it was a woman-said:
I'm very sorry to trouble you, but
could you get Mrs. or Mr.. Parks to
the phone? It's something very i'm
portant.'
Il thought that was about the limit.
said: No, / don't see how can. I'm
very busy and l would have to dress
and-no, I'm sorry, but can't do it.
Oh, very we'll; excuse me for trou-
bling you,' she said in a sarcastic
voice and the receiver was shut on.
Now, would you believe it? After
all the pains I've been to to be nice
to them those people are just as cool
as can be since then. suppose they
l~-A