| Show IT Telegram Short Star Story THE TilE UMBRELLA By Etta EUa Rogers Roger Rollings Yes Sarah it has ha been an exhausting exhausting ex ex- morning Never In the 39 years of ot my lifetime has so much occurred In the space of a few hours No No Sarah I s said ld 39 39 not 49 In the tho first place I was vas alm almost st late ate for church Just Just Justas as I was about to 0 start one of oC the wings dropped off the bird on the front of my hat It 1 took me quite a while to decide whether to sew the wing on again or let the bird have only one wing I finally let it alone I made up my mind that I had better take my umbrella You know Sarah the weather was kind of threatening this morning althou although al- al thou though hough h It didn't really rain As things turned out it was fortunate that I took the tho umbrella with me Although Ive I've played the or organ an anIn In n our church for Cor 20 years until this morning I had ad never for forgotten otten my glasses No Sarah I 1 said 20 not 30 When I opened my handbag to take ake out my spectacles to my astonIshment astonishment aston- aston the sugar augar spoon lay there therein theren In n the top I knew in a minute that I 1 must have placed my glasses Inthe in inthe inthe the sugar bowl I 1 could see things at a a. distance pretty well but to Beethe see Bee seethe the he not notes s of the music I had bad to sit alt way way back on the organ stool and throw my head backWell back Well Sarah trouble started right away Jimmie Smith was there to pump lump the organ but he was so interested interested In- In in smiling at the Perkins girl that he forgot to pump I started to play or try l 16 to play a prelude prelude but no sound came I had hado to o reverse my umbrella and hook book Jimmies Jimmie's head around with the curved handle He ife began to pump Immediately and it occurred to me inc then hen then Sarah it was a a. mighty good thing the umbrella was there beside beside beside be be- side me From the beginning I 1 felt quite nervous because there were no sopranos sopranos so so- pranos in the choir and I 1 had to sing soprano In the anthem When the anthem started old Mr Stebbins our only bass singer didn't get up at all He was w sound Bound asleep Playing the introduction with vl one one hand I took ok my Dy umbrella In n the other and jabbed at his feet teeL He jumped up wildly yelling Yes Mirandy Ill I'll be downstairs In a minute The first part of ot the anthem wasn't bad at all all but toward the thelast thelast last ast nobody came n n at just the right time By this time I was Wl so flustered that I didn't know what the sermon was about When it was half way through I suddenly saw a note pinned to the back of the ministers minister's coat oat It was just the right distance from me so that I could read It It said I 1 cant can't press no more pants and coats for you till you pay me something on account I. I. I Well Vell Sarah I considered it my bounden duty to get that telltale note off Mr Pritchards Pritchard's back It was pinned on with only one pin so I took the handle of my iny umbrella and tried to knock the pin up and make It drop out Mr Pritchard kept looking around at me qu queerly erly so I suppose he felt some bumps from rom the tho umbrella I kept right righton on until finally the note dropped off oft I had planned to play Rubin steins stein's Melody in F for a postlude You know Sarah I 1 often play that as I memorized It years ago soon after I memorized The Merry Widow Waltz It didn't occur to tome tome tome me at nt all all' that I wasn't playing the Melody in F until someone said to tome tome tome me after aCter service Wh What t was that pretty piece in waltz time that you just played l' l Then I knew I had played The Merry Widow Waltz through twice with a 8 real waltz swing Yes I do seem to be getting a little absentminded Well Wen I 1 felt quite calmed down when I 1 reached my yard and I opened the door and walked in very quietly And there Sarah I could see a burglar bent over a bag into which he be 10 was stuffing all my best silver that hat used to belong to Grandma Griffin He plainly hadn't heard me enter so after silently reaching up and unscrewing the electric light bulb I threw v it at him with all my strength Never did I think Sarah that hat I 1 would ever throw an electric II light bulb at the scat seat of a mans man's trousers I There was a loud explosion the burglar dropped the te bag and yelling yelling yell yeU- ing Im Tm shoUt shot ran out the front door at top speed I picked up my skirts and ran right after aUer him calling call call- ing ng Stop thief He raced down the he street until he stumbled over aver Thompsons Thompson's cat which was sunning itself on the sidewalk Then the robber fell teU flat fIat on his stomach and nn-d. nn seating his back facIng facing facing fac fac- ing his feet I whacked his legs as ashard ashard ashard hard as I could with my umbrella A crowd collected in just a few min min- utes Take that hell cat of off me mc he roar roared d. d 1 Young man man manI I said firmly wi a whack Tm Tin a respectable Worn Wom woman jund ind you cant can't call me names No apologize And he didWell did Well Sarah I have all aU my alive back and that misguided young yog man man will be put where he c cAn n steal any more As I said It has been anything but buta a quiet Sandal Sandi morning I must lie He down a w if IC I expect to be able to play in It church tonight I must say though that while I was bothered when found I had left my spectacles spectacle the sugar bowl Im I'm so glad no now fi wasn't my umbrella Copyright for forThe The Telegram |
