Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-05-14

insistently asserts ignorance of it's
whereabouts.
Not content with that he makes them
search their pockets, which they do
all the while volubly protesting that
an outrage is being perpetrated. Soon
er or later one of them will find it,
either in a pocket, or on some shelf
where it has been laid in a hurry.
Yesterday morning [ was IN hur-
ry to catch the train-and had ar
ranged for another member of the
family to drive me to the station
While this member was finishing
breakfast, l decided to run the car up
to the house myself. 1 looked for
the key in the dish. 1t was not there.
J. accused everybody else In turn with
having mislaid it. they all entered
indignant denials. went over the
programme of the day before and
finally pinned the blame on the last
user of the car. She was certain she
had put the key in the 'ish-had jing-
led it couple of times TO make sure,
and remembered exactly how it look
cd as it lay there, crocawise with the
table, like the needle Of a compass
pointing T.. N. e. When I. was celled
TO her attention that the needle of q
compass never does point I1. n. e. she
said it looked the way the needle of u
- npass would haze pointed IL it ever
did point E. N. Il.
At this stage [ Lad an idea. The
llGy had probably been left in the
car. ran down to the garage to
lcok for it. 1t was not there, and the
car was locked l came back again
and began systematic search of the
house, impressin5 everybody else to
help me. We found dozens of keys
to former cars around the place, but
the key to the present one could not
be discovered.
1 began to get bitter, by this time,
pointing out that inasmuch as the en-
tire family was privileged to use the
car when and how they pleased, the
least they could dc in return would
be to exercise little decent care of
the key, particularly when they knew
I was always likely to be III a hurry
to get to the train in the morning.
This moved them, and they re-
doubled the search, accusing each
other of thoughtlessness in not TAX
ing better care of this necessity, and
explaining how l was inconvenienced
and hindered. Finally one OF them
had the temerity to suggest that per-
haps I had the key. I might they
said have been the one who put the
car away the night before.
But was able to trace all my move
ments the night before. L remembered
reading till bed time, and then going
straight to bed. [ believed, although
could not be- sure, that I had looked
out of the window and seeing the
garage doors closed concluded that
the car was inside, before I went 40
bed So often the others are careless
about putting it away that it is my
custom to- assure myself that the job.
is done.
At last, giving it up, I telephoned
for a taxi, which came just in time
to make the train. At the station
I reached into my vest pocket for the
fare.
There was the key.
1t may have been cowardly of me,
it may have been merely dishonorable.
But when 1 came home that night, I
stopped at the service station and got
six new keys. I told the family to
take good care of them, and if they
found the one that was lost to add it
to the collection. 1t was an unmanly
thing to do, but how could I have
maintained my prestige as the alleged
head of the house if I had done any
thing else?