Norwich bulletin., 1916-04-11
HIS HARD LIFE

But this is an especially good Job!" protested the agent of the building. And I don't mind adding you're en especially good janitor! I don't want you to quit. So why should you quit ?"
 The janitor shifted to the other foot despairingly. 'I quit" he repeated doggedly. T go into the delicatessen shop with my brother-in-law and make pies! Those womenl A furn- ways jumping up and down! They do not treat a big heating plant with respect! They do not understand that it takes skill to handle it! If l had those women I would order them all to build fires and watch them and feed them and maybe have some one say more heat one minute and the next minute less heat and see how easy it was to do it! Those women -
 What did" the agent tried to ask. Those womeni" went on the jani- tor, firmly and indignantly. He sat down and cast his cap upon the tiling.
 That Mrs. 1nglecamp by the hrst floor" he began specifically. He sighed hugely. That Mrs. Inglecamp, she is running around my basement all the time!
 "'Oscar! Oscar!' she will call. Why 1 don't you answer the phone when I | ring you?
 "Because, Mrs. Inglecamp. I shovel coal,' I tell her politely. When I shovel coal, how can I be at the tele- phone!'
 "'Coa1!' Mrs. Inglecamp says. l screechylike. If you're so busy put
 ting coal in the furnace all the while | will you tell me why there is no heat?
 I am freezing to death, my ferns are l freezing to death, the canary bird is ! stiff on his perch! When l pay a hundred a month for flat I think I
 am entitled to more than 50 degrees | of heat! Am I not, Oscar?' | "'You are ma'am,' I tell her polite | ly And you get it.'
 1 CT will have you discharged!' Mrs.
 1nglecamp tells me enthusiastically. 1 Never have I been so treated by any | janitor in any building! I have plenty
 of brains to tell whether I am freez- l ing to death or not!'
 And all the time that Mrs. Ingle- camp has on a waist just like mos quito netting only more so and looks
 like ladies going to a party at night! If that Mrs. Inglecamp would wear
 more clothes she wouldn't kick about the heat, but I can't tell her. It's not 1 a janitor's place to tell ladies how to dress! I'll shovel coal and take pack
 ages which my job don't call for, but
 believe me, I won't do that! No
 body has a right to ask 1t of me! And when Mrs. InglecaInp has done up, with her nose in the air making a speech all the way just how quickly she is going to have me discharged and how her husband will help do il
 and what a strong man he is, jing- | aling goes the telephone and it is Mrs Norbreaker on the top floor. 'Janitor,' says Mrs. Norbreaker
 what are you doing down there? ArC
 you asleep while the house is burning 1 down, or do, you think this is a. Turk
 ish bath establishment instead of ;
 high grade apartment building? Neve have 1 experienced anything like 1t There are great waves of heat mak l ing me faint and my cook is faint ant g will give notice if she has to work il e such Q temperature much longer!
 had great trouble getting my cook am I if I lose her I shall see that you los = your job! l have had to open all tf 9 windows and my English ivy is with n ering in the hot blast, and it is naile l. to the woodwork. SO I can't move it t I think the world of that English ivy S because it grew from slip I brough s from the graveyard where wa wer = narried-I mean from MT Norbreak
 er's family's graveyard, though I don . | suppose such things mean anything { U you: If you had any feeling at a Q 1 you'd have more feeling about hea t d You must be absolutely stupefie e down there. I want it fixed at once 0 Yes, ma'am.' I tell her, politely t VIII uO II. AtlNl tii the LlIIle that MT!
 Norbreaker is wearing a Woolen dres
 up to her ears and a sweater. All tn
 time she wears that sweater. Ho7 q can I tell her to take it off and ope = her windows? And in the laundry aT = all wool clothes when Mrs. Norbreak d CTS washing is done. Now, there - Mrs. Norbrealler with her wools an " Mrs. Inglecanp with her mosquit , netting. I leave it to you, what is n hard working janitor to do when he , a ianitor and not a magic worker? = 'Then there is that Mrs. JeEyI 'e Oscar, did my package from the stol d come while I was out?" she ask j. Well, it must have come-you look n 50 I look under the coal and u