The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-11-24
No Tombstones
for Kitty
BY CLARA DELAFIEED

Oy OkfAyfA OCx/kkV xEbIO
Honest Mike Sullivan and his
elderly frau lived in a quaint old
fashioned little cottage in IN OBJ
scure nook OF the great city. They
had bought 1t with their savings.
They did not care anything about
It's being quaint; what they liked
about 1t was that 1t was hontelike.
Retired people with Z little In.
come, they chatted with. their
neighbors in equal circumstances
and had the time of their lives for
several months. The cottage had
been built century before, and
the garnet was all choked up with
trash, which some day Mrs. Sulll-
van was going to clear away. But
she delayed in the satisfaction OF
practically sitting back and enjoy.
ing comfort at last.
Then came the dreadful persecu-
ton. A committee of leading citi-
zens called at the cottage one
day. But let Kitty Sullivan tell
her own story.
$50 fur as l understand. Mike"
she said, "there was a poet Teller
named Grudge once lived here, and
they wants to buy the cottage and
make mooseum Of It," =
mot In my time." said Mike.
"Not in mine," echoed Kitty.
They thought no more of It, but
meanwhile the knowledge had been
spreading through the town. There
was sort of temporary craze
about the poet Grudge, who had
lived there in obscurity SO long. !
before. A manuscript Of his
changed hands for a thousand dol
lars. New editions of his books
were being brought out. It would
all have been very surprising and
gratifying to Grudge. had he been
alive, and perhaps his ironical
shade did watch from beyond the
Styx and wonder q little.
Soon visitors began coming up
to the cottage all day long, begging
to see it. At first Kitty used to
show them over. But she soon got
tired Of that. At last, when they
refused to understand that 1t was 4
q private home, she took to shut
ting the door in their faces.
The climax came one day when
the committee called again. But
this Is anticipating things little.
Kitty had had her cleaning-up day
at last. She went up into the gar
ret and gathered together 7af1 the
miscellaneous debris, bits Of furni-
ture, papers, old books, that had
been lying there for countless years.
and carried it all out to the back
yard.
There a fire was set by Kitty and
Mike, and in short time the rub
bish was consumed to cinders.
"Thank hivin now I'll have q
clane house," said Kitty.
"'Tis a proud wumman ye/are.
said Mike, looking at her in I'D.
miration over the bowl of his pipe.
"'Tis happy wumman I'd be
II them visitors wad let the house
alone" said Kitty. EYED think
they'd all gone mad with this talk
of Grudge or Fudge or WHATEVER
his name moight be-"
"Spake no evil OF the dead,
wumman," said her husband.
"Sure, I'm not blaming the poor
lad at all at ALL" said Kitty. "May.
be If they'd treated him dacent
when he was alive they wouldn't
feel their consciesces tickling them
so now"
Now we come back to thelcllmax.
the day when the committee, ap.
peared again at the door. Kitty an
swered their knock. Her face dark
ened when she saw them.
"Now, it's no use your coming
here to see the rooms Grudge or
Fudge lived in or died in" she be-
gan.
MADAM, you mistake me-" said
the spokesman with dignity, dis.
playing a large, fiat slab Of stone
with something engraved on 1t.
"Mercy me, Il. II a tombstone
ye'd be putting upto Grudge" cried
Kitty.
mo, madam, this Is memorial
tablet to state that Mr.. Grudge, the
famous poet, once lived IN this
house." replied the spokesman
suavely. 1T Will look neat and Or
namental If It Ii affixed just be-
tween those two lower windows"
$50 It's fixing tombstones between
my windows you'd be doing now. is
ut" screamed Kitty. "Now git this
through your dome. Ills Sullivan
lives here, not. Grudge. Last Fri
day went up to the attic and !
come upon all of Grudge,s papers
and poetry and books and such like
and burned 'em In the back yard.
And that's the end Of drudge. So
you can just take Grudge's tomb
stone out of here"
With that she slammed the door.
q. 1919. Western Newspaper Uniop.,