The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-17

of the brick was, # anything, stickier
than ever, and the gold paint had
amalgamated with the saturated ma
pie sugar. forming a greenish-browfi
mess that looked SPOUT as much like
gold as swamp mud does. As a mat
ter OF fact. the top of the brick
looked rs if it had been smeared with
swamp mud. The two ends were
rapidly becoming like swamp mud.
Even with the utmost exertion Of his
native optimism, Mr.. Bunker felt that
the ultimate result of his labor would
be not gold brick but a swamp-mud
brick.
He. undressed and ciambered into
bed thoroughly disheartencd. He
had hoped that by. gliding the maple:
sugar bricks he might have produced
gold bricks that worid serve well
enough to sell to New Workers (who
will buy anything that glitters). but
above all else he had hoped to per-
dear old Ma Bunker to keep on a
what-not or center-table. It began
to seem as if maple sugar as q base
for gold bricks was q rank failure.
arose before sun-up and went to
work on the brick again. During the
night the painted portions of the
brick had pitted considerably. and all
signs of the gold bronze had disap-
peared. but Mr.. Bunker kept. right at
the JOB. Instead of using the small
the bronze-powder with a tooth
brush. putting it on thick. By nine
o'clock he had coated the entire
brick, which Immediately became
sticky all over. He placed 1t on the
window-sill to dry.
:Ma." he said, when he. heard her
come up from. the breakfast-rorl,
come in herew
Mrs. Bunker entered the little
what is 1t, Jsbez% she asked.
dumb fool / called my cousin Will
lam when he clumb out to the end
of the limb of our old black-heart
cherry tree and sawed off the limb
betwixt him and the tree and fell
down and busted his collar bone"
Eyes, Jabez."
"I'm all of them kinds and some
extry," said Mr.. Bunker bitterly.
"Whst'd you call that on the windy
Mrs. Bunker looked at the brick
curiously.
Swamp mud, amt it, JabezT"> she
"It's a gold brick" said Mr.. Bunk
er with intense bitterness. ats the
kind of gold brick your old fool of a
husban' spent most all night an sli
this mornin' maxim; that's what it is!
A gold brick-that's what the con-
sarned, glued-up, sticky. old hunk Of
mud is! A gold briek"
"Well, faint as goldfish lookin' as
some I've seen, for fact said Mrs.
Bunker p1acidly, "but I dare say you
can sell it Jabez. You always was
smarter than most
"Smarts" said Mr.. Bunker bitter
ly. "Oh. yes, I'm smart, all right!
I'm bilin' over with su1artncss, am !
Coin an buyin' maple sugar an
thinkin' J could gild it upl rs a
sponge and try to sell it for gold
nugget" m n.,.r
with gentle reproof. If wunt have
you speakin' of yourself that way. -
don't say" she added, seeing the. pile
of ungilded maple bricks on the floor,
az don't say I'd urge you to gid any
more maple sugar, but ! reckon you
can sell this here one"
As is often the ease with men, this
wifely confidence seemed to put Mr..
Bunker on his mettle again.
"Dumbed If don'ti" he ex-
dunbed i'll don't make myself sell
stick-uni-sloozely old sugar briekp
"And the rest of It we can eat"
said Mrs. Bunker. II always was
partial fond OF maple sugar..
MA, you're the dearest"
"If it's pure" said Mrs. Bunker.
eff it's pure, we can eat up this pile
of rnapie-sugar bricks in no time:
Well give Miss Druse a brick, and
we'll give Mis- WINNER brick, and
we'll eat the rest-if it's pure.
"And as soon as this stlefs-ur11-
sloozle here on the windy-sill dries
out a bit, I'll go right out and try
Mr.. Bunker, but less hopefully than
before. The longer he looked at the
painted brick. the less likely It seem.
ed that even a New Yorker would
buy it as solid gold.
Mrs. Bunker took one of the I'M
touched sugar bricks and went into
the large room. Mr.. Bunker seated
himself to await the drying of the
gold brick. A quarter of an hour
later, Mrs. Bunker re-entered the hall
bedroom, and her face was. sad.
Jabez, sne sau arr my,
maple sugar by no manner of means
1t was quite evident that she hated
to cast this additional bad news at
her husband, but truth compelled her
to do so. She uttered the words. re.
luctantly, expecting to see Jabez'
spirits fall again at the news.
"Whatl" he cried joyously.
"Taint pure sugar she said. II
tested it out, and faint pure"
Without another word, Mr.. Bunker
picked the painted sugar brick from
the window-sill. tore a piece from
the wrapping paper on the floor and
began hastily wrapping the brick in
it. He struggled into his. coat and
damned his hat on his head, He
stopped only to give Ma Bunker. a
parting kiss, and hurried from the
| room, down the stairs and out upon
tN+be streets Without pausir1g he