The mirror., 1923-04-19
WANTED-A WIFE
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much. Toot-toot, goodbye little lady,"
said Bill regretfully, as he tossed her card
into the waste paper basket
The following afternoon found Blunt
in a distant and sparsely settled section
of the city, looking over some vacant lots,
and his errand called him to a bank
situated in its small business section. A
grocery store adjoined upon one side,
while upon the other was a long row of
cheap tenements, inhabited by laborers,
mostly of foreign birth, and sprinkling
of colored families. As Blunt finished
his business and left the bank, he caught
sight of bunch of lucious bananas sus-
pended from the awning frame in front
of the grocery next door, and decided at
once to invest in the attractive fruit.
Handing the grocer a dime he received
two bananas, and proceeded at once to
eat them, while the grocer stood by and
remarked about the weather and other
Kindred subjects, to all of which, Blunt
replied between mouthfuls.
Suddenly he spied queenly hammered
lady of perhaps thirty summers approach
ing. "Know herr" inquired Bill of the
grocer. "Yep-by sight-widow I under
stand-some BELLE" replied the grocer.
"Veritable vision of pulchritude" gushed
Blunt. "Peacherino" answered the grocer.
Blunt looked aghast at this low-brow ex-
preston regarding this vision of beauty,
charm, and physical grace, and to himself,
he unused, "a rare Aower-a unique
queen-like dreamship sailing mid
night sea, fitting grandly across the rays
of a moonbeam revealing a graceful form,
blowing her way across the silvery dane
ing waves. She came from oblivion. She
would vanish again in moment" He
must act quickly. Faint heart never won
fair maiden," quoted Bill, as he nerved
himself for the psychological moment
quickly approaching. He had hastily
eaten his second banana, and decided
upon diplomacy and luck to enable him to
address her. "Ah-the very thing"
thought Bill. He would toss the banana
rind, apparently thoughtlessly, before her.
then pick it up and offer his apologies.
AT that moment a number of people
were passing, among them, prim yourg
Bank collector, who was clad in nifty
black suit wore derby hat carried
cane, and who held bulky leather bill
fold under his left arm. Behind him,
came an old Irishman, well bewhiskered,
smoking clay pipe, and laboriously
carrying long heavy plank balanced
upon his shoulder. Immediately behind
the plank end, came big fat German
washer-woman, waddling under the bur-
den of huge basket of clothes. AT her
heels trudged white and woody little
poodle dog, which occasionally, between
barks, nibbled the washer-woman's heels.
Her vain attempts to kick the dog, only
encouraged him to continue his torment,
and brsught forth threats from his mis-
tress to whom he was attached by string.
She was a tall colored woman, decked
in snowy summer fnery, and in her other
hand she carried yellow sunshade,
folded, and used as a walking stick.
Blunt, who had bided his time, now
apparently thoughtlessly and carelessly
threw his banana rind upon the walk in
front of the laborer, who stepped upon it,
slipped, and, with a lurch, rammed the
end of his long plank squarels, and with
great force, into the slight shoulders of
the Bank collector. With shout, that
individual threw his cane hat, and leath-
er bill-fold into the air, and did a half
somersault ending in the gutter, where he
seemed suddenly imbued with an un-
ouenchable desire to stand upon his head.
The impact somewhat aided the plank
bearer to regain his equilibrium, but in