Show STORY STOR OF A COLD NIGHT I 1 H howard ova rd fielding has the confidence of a strangers stranger WHAT HE SAID AT LUNCH Iren me HI adventures Adventure with e r can van TM got cot and gives two explanations of is cold on his aundra I lits hl wife moved and how sho she accounted for ills HI cold r copyright Copy richt IM ho he chan chanced ce d to sit bit opposite mft me in it lunch factory I 1 noted at once that ho he had a load on hi ahli 1 mind a cold on his him lunk lunge tend and a enst quantity of 0 miscellaneous objects in hla his pockets evidently nothing but to burden his big stomach anil and this Ms he ha proceeded proceed ed to do in a sullen and desperate sperato dc manner slaving thus brought to in an even keel iced ho he paused mid looked at me my lily features wore the usual winning winn luj smile Tv which ivall though wrinkled like the other old things I 1 am wearing this tall fall is still an invitation to confidence that would bo be woith Q L good deal in tho the handshaking line 1 I dorot dont sea BOO ahat hat I 1 could havo done va with th it muttered it a stranger and then he began to rummage around in his pockets I 1 caught hurt hurl led glimpses of many queer WPM among them I 1 I 1 11 11 1 it 41 ni I 1 2161 J e 01 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 14 4 11 I 1 I 1 1 11 c f I 1 JP I 1 I 1 I 1 the that realization of hied m dream ream were two gloves one ona male find and tho the other female rolled together IL small hand mirror it 0 screwdriver screw driver an iron castor that might have hava como oft the log lag of 0 a bed a coiled collar collac several mantel ornaments Mits ind and a bottlo of yellow shoe dressing lastly he ha produced ahlee thi ec gilded balls and and laid them on the table you cant beat business here bere without a license said L I 1 busane BuBl lne neES as T he repeated doubtfully 1 I pointed to the three balls then he ha laughed in a rattling and joyless man nar trase things carrie came orr the th ends of 0 curtain pour chairs your know as the french call them said lie I 1 have elsewhere rioted noted the tact fact that the pronunciation ot of that word is 1 a mire dure of 0 IL mavs mans rc 1 dence you are from new jorsey jersey said 1 I somewhere along alone tho the erlo line I 1 should say youra right im from new jersey ha ha bal said hi he and im not going back we had a nice little place out there but my wife its got discontented ha ba lia I 1 had to five it up ive noticed that we na all always 79 a mans elf who gets discontented that Is when hes telling tile the story however tho the dry and cackling laugh with which the stranger Bl ranger rounded hla his hoarse per lod laili showed that ho he would bo 10 happy yet if he ew filled pneumonia wo we wanted to move the iho first of the month 11 lie cio cloaked aled but one thing and another have delayed us the principal trouble was that we get a man mail with a wagon to move vs Us three days ago however I 1 induced an act old oh fellow out there to mako make a nine with ur up we WB had our place in town engar Cd and tile lle rent find and gas I 1 meter had agun to run so I 1 thought I 1 wed beter run atler after them benoie beffie they pot got too far ahead or of us I 1 the old follows tol lowB name was wenner lie he came round with hla his wagon tuesday morning just as I 1 was ready to leave for town my wit wire was just pumping air into my ear car 0 o that I 1 rould run for my train without getting betting out ant of 0 breath that la Is tile the way I 1 playfully refer in her usual parting ad I 1 explained to her that mr wenner venner could tako take only ono one or two loads that d day I 1 so co shed better send M ornamental I 1 rather or than useful things and for heavens stake lake I 1 added dont pack away ray my pipe alpo and tobacco tobacco tho the very first thins thing as you did tho the last km we moved when I 1 got cot home that evening I 1 found my wife weeping in the midst of our home that tren df a I 1 old villain wenner sold said she kept ills hl word heb moved only about half our things well said 1 I cat all right hell romo come again tomorrow to morrow and get tho the rest acts have some dinner and try to torget our sorro borrowa eor rowa ws she looked at me rather strangely tr angely tut but made no objection she put the dinner on art the table for we a had bad sent our girl away and wo eat down to eat 1 J I 1 11 il I 1 a I 1 i 2 6 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 Z i 4 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 P I 1 11 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 pointed tod to 0 tho the three balls while we were thus thua more inore or loss pleasantly eng atred my iny gifts sister alster announced herself como to take us by burtrus Bur they re a surprising family that ivol married into lut me im be b yond it whatever Wha tover crazy cray trick they do 10 im expecting expect lne it at defero to the rest lot 0 them nol toniy tomy 1 mite I site she still has latent which could amiade anil anybody ono of them developed after dinner that night she called too ina aside and slid ald P johnny jck lt perfectly antul do you linow know there it be bed d in ili the house them I 1 asked sent bent lein cm till all away by wenner said laid sho she johnny johnnye atul and dont swear so no it wont lid do any rood tint that tanal promised that ho he world move ull all our things today to day I 1 thought wo we get into our nat flat this ihla evening and I 1 sald uilia to myself what ahalt wo we need most why eliy the beds of 0 coude so I 1 sent rent them all off of on oil the live hrat first load then we well it hava lave to so go to new york find and sleep in th nat ald L 44 but alsten johnny I 1 said the she it hero here room for the on ui hitt load no mo I 1 lent bent them on the jornd well what of they get drat as far as aj rew new IA L it ua rt second I 1 load and in his him barri barn I 1 seat bent 0 little boy bay fly over to see CM about it TILLS staggered this mo me so our beds bed bra in 10 ne new v boik 1 I 1 galiel gai aped and our mate mat trestles fire arc in Wen gennera nera barn on the 1 other side or of wo so to to ahe V I 1 in hill hl hy bay wow mow 8 she said bald that I 1 was wa very bitter and cruet cruel to suggest such bubli a thing perhaps w w 0 could art along very well for or one ight jf it I 1 moko make buchl a bums there was one old mattress in ili tile hit attic she and lizzle would a bleed bleep on that thac slid and I 1 could havo have A fh 11 till canvas cot it w wan very ry tit nice C e control comfortable table bed and a he ha knew mew it she was logically conyl convinced nood of 0 it because shed had bad to go over the arguments with our girl almost every earry day since elnko tho the girl began to try to sleep on the cot say did you ever try to loop on oil a canvas cot it looks eazy but it 11 I 1 retired nt midnight in the north 1 room one of oc my cifes relations had it last winter find and lie he called it the blue room because that was tile color of his nose none every morning when lie he got lip and scraped the fros frost li orr on hit hla look ing ine glass elaas but it wan taun a warm night I 1 and I 1 never thought of being chilly well vell tir t ir it camo came ort art cold an all hour or two after I 1 re retired llred I 1 felt it first on 11 my foot feet they hung out over the lower end of 0 the cot and there was a crack in the floor right under them of courso course the carpet had been fait taken on up EO co when the wind came brou around nil to the north it blow straight up at my illy I 1 a v very ry good assortment of at be bedding diling most of our stuff sault had been sent bent over to erB barn I 1 had bad a shoot sheet folded lengthwise in the form of one olle or of theao tho io sleeping b basa 11 which ex placers use aise then I 1 biad an old blanket and for a co coverlet verts one of at it a pair of fine pour pourch chairs alre at 2 I 1 got up find and secured tho other they wele still attached to the poles polea but that wit was a rather a an n advantage than an inconvenience vel veni fience ence I 1 rut put tho the poles across under ny my head head and thus increased tho the effective length ot of the cot A little after two I 1 arose again find and secured a fur ir it was a A skin with the heart head of the beast on ono corner of at it thero there seemed to be some come warmth in that timers skin for I 1 secured a little sleep almost immediately after spreading it over me inc I 1 had left the lamp amp burning because I 1 thought it might war warm the loom a little well we I 1 I 1 sir as I 1 pay I 1 slept a fever fen minutes just loni long enough to dream that I 1 was waa ono cilia of 0 the early christian ill martyrs in the arena and then I 1 woke to a find wa tigers head with its ll 11 gleaming 9 glas lass eyes eves it staring tile mo in the tice fice say v ahat bat do you think I 1 did I 1 yelled so ito loud that the concussion put ill hie 11 light out aty kiy wife and her plater I 1 thought bought there were burglars in the house what did they do about it I 1 dont know but my opinion Is that they crawled into a pilo of carpets carpeta and rugs irk in the middle of their room and hid there till morning As for me the thock shock of my fright made me chiver and whort when I 1 rot got over oica being frightened I 1 stop shivering ilow how I 1 could he eoll with till all those things over me I 1 understand but it was true I 1 arose and secured the stair carpet it went up find and down me ivo five tir times dirries ries I 1 remember hut but it ralso my illy ono degree then I 1 made the important discovery that it make any difference how much I 1 and over me so long all aa I 1 had only one laver of canvas under me and the wind still whittled titled up tip through the bare boards I 1 decided to put the he hirers skin over tile cot and lie down on it IL then IL a new inspiration rams came to rop me why not go down and sleep in the kitchen good idea I 1 picked up lip the tha cot the rep the lur fur rug and 11 I 1 I 1 I 1 V I 1 1 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 1 1 Z 1 t I 1 I 1 I 1 i I 1 I 1 wenner KOIA kept his word the stair carpet and started for tile the kitchen at tho the hervi heni of tile back stairs I 1 stepped on the frinak of one of tile the port leroa leres I 1 endeavored to step olt off it but there were five apertures aper tit tures 4 in the IV fringe and each ono of thorn them had be secured 0 one 0 of my toes therefore I 1 just ju calmly fell over forwards and slid alt down stairs with tho cot for or it a gan ean 1 I reached the kitchen it in this easy and unconventional manner avid and dla dis covered almost immediately that the ire fire had rone gone out this was wag not what I 1 had fallen down stairs for th the 0 kitchen wua was perhaps a L shade warmer than my illy room but it was cooling rapidly ind and a kitchen n the morning with no tire alra in ila it the coldest room in the house its as every narried married man inan knows there theio illy any tuel luel at hand band but between you and d me I 1 just had to havo some home thero there were two or three convenient pieces of light woodwork which be belo longed need to my lato late landlord and not flat to roe me with t been I 1 kindled a lire fire and then I 1 broke up t two wo or three lat kitchen clien chairs and piled them lit in a handy spot my cot I 1 place d close it by the stove so that I 1 could fee feed the alre re without It hout getting out of bed there lie I 1 lay jay and kept her a oln with it oe selections cc from roy my furniture till by y abid IT by I 1 got real warm mid and snug nus and then I 1 went to sleep tho last things I 1 remember putting in ill cle tho the pour chair poles tile these u a brass balls tire are tile the ornaments ornamental I 1 act knobs abs from the ends of those poles they bum buin of course and 1 I dare to put them in m the stove for fear my wife would find them and suspect p c ct me so I 1 simply unscrewed them a as I 1 lay jay the there with the intention of 0 throwing them away at my leisure a there ought to bo be one more acain he went through his pockets pocket ii im afraid norald ashes found J it IL it she bho I 1 can make her believe that wenner stole tho the poles find and the kitchen chairs and 1 a I few othor other things which I 1 burned that night she shell it believe ball vc anything of illin now noly but say day it all her fault I 1 was forced to stifle my chivalrous instincts and admit that it was alic lie sent tho the beds away she bho 0 coura coulta find all that hap happened nerved was I 1 la consequence of that on ono piece of blah katy blank foolishness well what do you think iuva have you followed my story havo you pot an idea of 0 liow how much walking around I 1 did in my robe der goolt nooit as tho the french nay bay on oil that interesting occasion it was enough to kill jail a man but MIA paya hold on oil are arc you a marl married led mon man 1 7 I em am then maybe believe beleve try my rio antory ry she says I 1 rot cot this cold it plains laying billiards with wit tho the boys two weeks ws IrO HOWARD NVARD FIELDING |