The Pascagoula chronicle. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1905-1920, 1920-01-30
SET HIM THINKING
Sources PIacard Caused I'm.
pleasant Surmise.
OF Course Mr.. Carr Knew That Under
No Circumstances Could Hs -
Considered Z Bore, but, Well,
There II Was.

Isaac Pratt was making a friendly
call in Squire Mars office. Converse
tion Jagged and he let his eyes roam
round the room.
| Hello" he said. Il see you've got
q new placard on the wall. This -
my busy day. A gentle hint to bores.
l suppose"
"Well, 1t was meant to be-" said the
squire with grim laugh. Il like 10
have my friends drop in occasionally.
he explained. "even il they have no
special business. But some of them
come 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 it 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 he
| may be bore to other people"
puts me In mind of an experience
| / once had trying to get rid OF bore"
said Isaac, as he settled himself COM
fortably in his chair. II was doing
quite little business one winter build
ing pleasure boats to order, and q
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. 1t
was rather fussy work l 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 u little
cool to him and see If he won't take
the hint? my wife would say; and
finally 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. 1t
was below-zerO morning, and when
Mr.. Judkins came in he made bee
line for the stove.
"'Why, says he, all shivering, you
haven't got mite Of fire?
emo says l. my work is sort Of
bothersome, and thought mebbe my
head would be clearer In cold ROOM
HE fried to argue me out of that
notion, but was kind Of obstinate;
and after shivering round spell he
went off. and had the shop to myself
for the balance of the day. l didn't
get on so 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, It didn't turn out that way In the
end. When I got home that night I
realized that I had hard cold on me,
and didn't see the shop again for
three weeks.
THAT would have been quite price
to pay even If had got shed Of Mr..
but, you see, l hadn't. When
he found was laid up. he considered
1t his duty to visit the sick, and he
would stay with me for hours. He even
sat up with me couple OF nights
when was worst off, and must own
that he was grand good hand In sick
ness. When ! did get so that could |
go to the shop, he went on ahead and
built up Il rOusing hot fire, so that We |
could both be comfortable. He was
certainly kind-hearted person. |
guess bores generally are and that IL
one reason why we find 1t so plaguy |
hard to get rid of them. Isn't that so,
squire?"
SLOWS that? Oh, yes, suppose sou
answered the squire, looking up from
his writing.
Some time later Isaac leisurely took
his leave. When halfway home, he |
halted abruptly, confronted by an en-.
tirely new thought.
"By jingo!" he said to himself. "You
don't suppose the squire meant that
piacard partly for me, do your
Youths Companion.