Evening star., 1933-05-07
Putting All Those Little Pieces Together Nina Wox Putnam

~ PEAKINo Of the meanest man in the
world, did you hear about the feller
that gase his ONCE boy ugsav puz-
zle and when the kid got It together
- he found It was his two weeks notice?
Which reminds mellow has this craze
for dissected art affected your family?
Up to our place every fiat surface is so COW
cred with broken-down maps Of broken-down
Europe, pictures Of the missing link with sew
of the scene still being hunted for. that we've
got no place to sleep, eat or sit.
Pa started q 700-piece puzzle on his bed and
by night the puzzle became where he was to
Sleep because he'd sooner disturb q bees nest
than them pieces So 1t ended in me leaving
the puzzle on the bed and putting Pa away
for the night In the box the puzzle came In.
Pa, I may remark, always picks out q puzle
with some such title as Harem Nights" or
"The Artists Dream" or September Morn,"
and takes as long as possible putting em to-
gether, for reasons which I will leave to the
imagination Of my intelligent public. But one
time I come to find Pa In q terrible state.
1t seems he'd rented puzzle named THE Sui
tan's Favorite" and when it was assembled It
turned out to be two Arabian chargers. The
jig was up when Pa saw.
The other day when it was Aunt Eata's turn
to cook. dinner was so late I went out into
the kitchen to see what was wrong, and darned
If Aunt Eata didn't have the entire top of the
stove covered with pieces Of dry. curved noodles.
She was showing 'em around and frowning over
'em with that intellectual expression 50 typical
OF the jgsaw addict, and by gollies, she had
hundred and thirty Of 'em fitted into fancy
pattern. When asked her was she putting
meal together. all she answered was a NUT
ter to the effect These sure do puzzle your
noodle!"
Grandma has taken up jiesaw puzzles, too.
She took up Pas and finished it while he was
down street. and was he sore! Then she took
up Juniors puzzle and couldn't remember
where she'd put It down, until she neaked
to the ice box after everybody else was in bed,
to chisel few eats. And there was the pux-
zle. frozen together 30 hard We had to use the
ice pick on it before we could return It to the
library.
Sister Anne and her young man had = jig
saw puzzle come between them However, II
the parlor light had been on, they never would
OF broke their engagement. But the trouble
was, Sister Anne had almost finished this DUE
lie. see. and It was laid out on the sofa be-
cause one Of Pas puzzles was on the table,
Juniors was ON the desk, Aunt Eata's was On
the piano. and Uncle Useless s. 0rant-smith
had his on the hearth rug. So Sister AnneS
young man and her put out the light and i'm
pulsively sat on her puzzle, which no well be-,
home the puzzle was considerable more broke
up than Sister Anne was Seems like love can
make you forget everything except disturbed
tgsaw puzzle which makes you forget love.
This burned puzzle craze has not only been
ranmed down our throats, but we've swallowed
It whole. It's infected every phase Of life with
out phasing us. Nowadays when see Uncle
Useless down on his hands and knees looking
under the bureau, know that collar buttons
are furtherest from his mind. What the Old
boy Is straining his eyesight and patience for
Is that drafted little red and green piece
which, dogonnit all, was probably already lost
before the darned ole puzzle ever came into
our house!"
Last week the laundress left our fat work
nat and worked puzzle by laying the clothes
pins out on the back lawn. The postman was
three days late with letter on account pack
age containing jigsaw puzzle bust open In
his bag and naturally he had to set right down
on the corner Of Charity drive and Bank street
(Which Is closed and stay there until he put
1t together. When done, the picture turned
out to be q postman hurrying along on q
motor-bike
Over at the Nut Farm they had to get q new
superintendent yesterday, because with the old
one It was case Of three jigsaw puzzles and
he Joined the inmates.
Two Of our neighbors started divorce, but