The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1916-09-01
THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR

ln0y are very peCulldT people neYf
door" said the woman with the ey.
pansive society smile. Il am sure tbs,
| have done all | could to be neivh
borly even since they took the house.
let me see-two years ago it is nov
nearly ! called on them in the frs,
place, although l really don't believe
in being too intimate with people iust
because they happen to rent house
next door to one; but in this case
Mrs Glenwood spoke to me about
them She said they were really very
nice people and SO | called.
They are very nice people in some
respects-at least Mrs Park is-bm
very peculiar, my dear. AS | say
/ did my best to be nice to them and
when they were in their moving mud.
/ die told them if there was anything
4 that / could do for them to be SURE
and let me know. Well, they didn't
happen to want anything, l suppose
for they didn't say so then, but in less
than three weeks after that Mr.. Parks
came to the door and wanted to bor.
row my stepladder. You know | Al.
ways keep my stepladder down in
the basement and it was quite ot
of trouble to go down and get it, but
Mr. Peabody happened to be at home
and he brought it up and gave il to
Mr.. Parks | don't mind saying that
| was annoyed, but | am sure that
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 | lent il
to them. I'm sure | would have no
ticed if there had been. Mr. Peabody
always tells me ! am so particular
about my things, but good gracious
Ii people didn't take care If things
they never would have things, would
t@y?
Then there was the lawn mower
was out moving the lawn one morn.
ing You know Mr.. Peabody isn't home
once a month hardly and | have to
NOW it myself or else get a 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. 1 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 it 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 / recommended laun
dress to them and went in to give
them her address, and one time when
they were out | let the express PEG
pie leave package for them and toOE
it in to them myself | assured them
that it wasn't any trouble-and 1t real
ly wasn't so very much, you know
only it might occur too often.
But it was about the telephone
was going to tell you. They didn
have a telephone put in. Mr.. PARK
said he didn't care to have one unu
he made up his mind whether y
wanted to take the house for year
and | told them, of course, that thel
were very welcome to use mine al an
= time. They said it was very klnd
f. me, and so it was, think, but didn
" think they would be making pupll
of convenience of my house. they CAM
nv in-oh. several times They away
I'd apologized but that didn't make
n. any more convenient for me TO De ~
of swering the door and letting them
~ and letting them out again. once
~ twice was clear up to the top OF u
M house and had to go clear dowhs"u
or | was always just as pleasant as cOui
- be, but | think they understood A'
= | didn't care much about II, anu ",
80 stopped coming until Mrs PARKS
~ ness and then Mr. Parks began COI
- ing again-to call the doctor
~ seemed to me, though that he heeul
=, have always left 1t until II pecan'
- emergency. OF course in Case
on sickness | wouldn't think OF relu'i.
40 anybody and l like to be nelsnoU,
20 But aren't people peculiar someuT
Sa Well thank goodness, they
~ about stopped bothering me un'n
~ week, when there came a ring
80 phone and somebody SAID. -.
~ Mrs Peabody? / said Yes anu :.
-, the woman-it was a woman
na I'm very sorry to trouble you,
could you get Mrs. or MT fs,A
the phone? It's something 's'
portant.' ,,-p
q thought that was about lns
no. | said: No. don't see how can
Ah- very busy and | would have
JUS and-no. I'm sorry but l can J. =,
se oh, very well; excuse me =.
az bling you she said in q
Ap' voice and the receiver was SUI ,As
ny Now. would you believe y d
all the pains I've been to 70 q
os- to them those people are JUS n
ue- as can be since then, SUPP n
ne are offended. but / don't Know A
they could have expected me "