Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-01-13
SET HIM THINKING
SquIre's PIacard Caused Un'
pleasant Surnhse.
OF Course Mr.. Carr Knew That Under
No Circumstances Could He Be
Considered Bore, but, Well,
There II WaA

Isaac Pratt was making Q friendly
call in Squire Marr's Office. Converse
ton Jagged, and he let his eyes roam
round the room.
"Hellop be said. II see you've got
q new placard on the wall This Is
my busy day. A gentle hint to bores.
I suppose"
"Well, 1t was meant to BE-" said the
squire with a grim laugh. II like to
have my friends drop In occasionally"
he explained. "even II they have no
special business. But some Of them
come q little too often and stay alto
gether too long. They may not have
anything more important to do at the
time than to talk politics or spin yarns.
But 1t often happens that have; and
in that case, putting my time against
theirs isn't an even swap. The fact Is.
the average man is so interesting to
himself that he can't imagine that ne
may be bore to other people"
"Puts me In mind Of an experience
I once had trying to get rid Of a BORE
said Isaac, as he settled himself COM
fortably, In his chair. ~ was doing
quite little business one winter build
ing pleasure boats to order, and a
neighbor of mine, an oldish man with
some means and nothing to do, used
to come to my shop every day and
toast himself by the fire and talk (!
talk! talk from morning till night. II
was rather fussy work I was doing.
and he almost drove me wild telling
old stories and Offering advice; but
remembered my manners and never
let on to him that wasn't pleased
with his company. BY the time I'd get
home at night, though, my good ma
ture would be pretty much gone.
"'Why don't you try being a little
cool to him and see If he won't take
the hintT my wife would say; and
finally I thought I'd carry out that
idea, although not exactly In the way
she meant.
$50 the next day when I got to the
shop went right to work on my boat
without the usual preliminaries. II
was q below-zerO morning, and wher
Mr.. Judkins came In he made q bee
line for the stove.
"'Why, says he, all shlvering. 'you
haven't got mite Of firep
"'No,' says 1, my work Is sort OF
bothersome, and I thought mebbe my
head would be clearer in cold room.
"He tried to argue me out Of thai
notion, but I was kind Of obstinate
and after shivering round a spell hi
went off, and I had the shop to myself
for the balance Of the day. / didn',
get on 80 much faster with my work
though, what with having to stop to
blow on my fingers every few min
utes; and as for my head being clear
er, 1t didn't turn out that way In thu
end. When I got home that night
realized that had hard cold on me
and I didn't see the shop again fol
three weeks.
"That would have been quite price
to pay even If I had got shed Of Mr.
Judkins, but, you see, hadn't. Wher
he found / was laid up, he considered
1t his duty to visit the sick, and HI
would stay with me for hours. he ever
sat up with me couple Of nights
when was worst off, and must owl
that he was grand good hand In sick
ness. When I did get so that could
90 to the shop, he went on ahead anc
built up q rousing hot fire, 80 that w
could both be comfortable. He wa!
certainly a klnd-hearted person.
guess bores generally are; and that !!
one reason why we find It so plaguI
hard to get rid of them. Isn't that so
squire"
"How's thatf Oh, yes, suppose soP
answered the squire, looking up from
his writing.
Some time later Isaac leisurely tool
his leave. When halfway home, h
halted abruptly. confronted by an Ell
tirely new thought.
"By jingo!" he said to himself. "Yol
don't suppose the squire meant tha
placard partly for me. do you"-
Youths Companion.