Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-06-05
CHAPTER /.
MYSTERIOUS NEIGHBORS.


Couldn't be. Why, that piano
weighs six hundred pounds"
II don't care. She picked it up as
If it were a package of cereal."
The whole Ladd family, living at
No. 81 Teak Street, Philadelphia, had
been staring through the lace cur
tains at the van and furniture OF the
folks moving in next door, No. %.
Mr.. Thomas Ladd, the father, held
. responsible executive position at
the shipyard. His twenty-two-year-
old son Jack, who had just called
them all to see the girl carrying the
PIANO, did clerical work in the ship
yards office. Miss Laura Ladd,
Jacks sister, nineteen years of age,
was a stenographer in the same i'm
portant concern.
The only member OF the Ladd do.
mestic circle who did not take
street-car for the shipyards on six
mornings in every week, barring holi-
days, was Mrs. Thomas Ladd, the
wife and mother
AS the good lady said, she had
enough to do to keep house for her
family. Moreover, she was valued
member of the Ladies Aid Society
IN her church, and took warm in
terest in home missionary work.
Mrs. Ladd pushed her husband
aside in her haste to get back to the
window as she exclaimed: ..
do you mean to tell me, John
I.add, that that little slip of girl
is lifting a piano all by herself?"
mot by herself, of course,
didn't mean that. But she has one
end of it. There's boy at the
other; but he isn't any bigger than
she is. Jimmy! How can they do
it?"
Mrs. Ladd was looking through
the curtain by this time. She raised
her hands in awe-stricken astonish-
ment.
Actually they are carrying it up
the steps and across the porch into
the house." she exclaimed why,
Jack, that's downright sinful"
"Why, mother?" inquired her hus-
band humbly.
Because girls were never sent
into the world to lift pianos. They
have higher mission"
what about the boy? He's doing
as much of the work as she is. Is ii
boys mission in life to lift
pianos?"
Don't be impious," she rejoined.
"You talk like that because your
head is always full of those amateur
theatricals. If you went to church
with me oftener you'd understand
more"
Mr. Ladd could not see what the
church and amateur theatricals had
to do with moving pianos But he
was a wise man, in some ways, and
he said nothing. His wife always
had the, better Of, him when she
threw the amateur stage in his face.
That was his weakness. He liked
to act. Mrs. Lad had the con-
tempt of the earnest church-worker
for all such nonsense.
She watched the cumbersome piano
pass up the single step from the
porch to the front door and saw il
carried smoothly, without bump,
into the hall and out OF sight. Then
she said, with conviction:
Boys and men have a perfect
right to lift pianos-or even houses,
if they can. But a girl! Well, it's
unfeminine; that's all have to say
There were four persons in the
new family. There were the hoy
and girl already mentioned and a
middle-aged man and woman, shor,
and stocky. The woman and girl
were in black clothing of wool quail
ity. Each had veil attached to
their black turban hats.
! Jack Ladd considered the girl at.
tractive. Mrs. Ladd decided, after 9
short comparison, that the woman
was her mother, the man her father
and the boy her, brother. "a
All four assisted in bearing the
furniture into the house. The two
men belonging 10 the van did nor
come even as far as the porch. The,
had enough TO DO in taking things
from the van fast enough TO keel
the quartet busy. b,
Nos. 81 and 23 : ak Street wer,
in one double house. There are man.
hundreds like ii in Philadelphia. 'I'h'
front doors were side by side, viii
only a low Failinga across The porcl
separating Them. II would be pos
sible 10 lean over The railing on on,
side and knock AZ the door on tn,
other, SO close were they.
The Ladds, standing behind ih
Hong curtains in their bay window
where they were invisible from with
our, ha.ls an intimate view Of thei
new ncighbors' proceedings,
They're IA mysterious set O
people, hope then lives will beu
the open light of day was Mr.,
Ladd's pious summing up 'of ,h
aituafioD,