Show sad plight of truly good man forced to seek refuge in den of iniquity on the sabbath day this Is a faithful narration ot the adventures ot a newark man who was for a time made a social exile an outcast by his umbrella all doors that he approached were closed to him even those of his home it happened in this wise the man works hard on saturdays late into the night and when he he arises and breakfasts on sunday he feels the need of out door air this air he will have no matter what the weather he was seen two or three weeks ago knee deep in the snow flounder ing stolidly along bent on getting his exercise and driving the tag and c ob webs from his brain but last sun day it was raining an icy sleet filled the air and the man raised his um brella and the little pellets pattered on H like the rain on the garret roof after he had gone a mile or so he found that the hand that held the um brella was getting tired he was a nervous man and he wondered it he vas developing rheumatism or it in paralysis was upon him the lameness soon extended throughout bis arm even unto the shoulder and at last the man realia ed that the umbrella was getting very heavy but he went on with his walk since no bodily discomfort could divert him from his con at last the man could not hold the umbrella in his hand and had to let the shaft rest upon his shoulder still he plodded stubbornly on until he reached the outskirts ot the city then he thought he would take a car back to his home and that was when his troubles really began he hurried over to a car with his umbrella sagging about his head his progress much impeded by its weight ho put one foot on the car step and started to let down his umbrella he wrestled with it until the conductor said some harsh things gave the motorman the bell and left the man standing ao 10 the street wrestling with the umbrella it had as complete a root of ice as any Esqui mau s house in the farthest north or anywhere else the root glistened as it made of glass the man exerted all his strength but the r bs simply bent under the strain and the coating of ice was not so much as cracked the man strode on for a few blocks thinking he came to a lit tie notion store where they sell news papers and thought he would go arside and thaw out the umbrella but after an ineffectual struggle to get inside the door he gave it up and walked on the situation was getting serious he tried another place a harbor of refuge aa it was a sunday school and the children within were singing joyous hymns that brought him a feeling of comfort as if here at last ho would surely find help out of his odd misfortune but here again he could not enter there was no double door and the um brella absolutely refused to be crush ed through the narrow door space further on down the street he came upon two or three children playing on a stoop and he told them he would give them ten cents for a can of hot water they looked at him as 11 they thought he was crazy he raised the ante to a quarter then one ol 01 the boys asked him if it gasn wasn t a can ot beer he wanted this was too much tor the man for he Is strictly temperance and it he had not been the thought of patronizing a baloon on sunday would have been utterly abhorrent so he took up his tramp again the umbrellas weight seemed to increase with every step until the man felt as it he was literally carry ing the root of his house over hie head he got out his jackknife jack knite and tried to scale the ice off but could not accomplish much so waa he ot cutting through the cloth once he as on the point ot slit ting the cover and removing it to throw into the gutter but a glance at the gold handle deterred him there was an inscription on the handle tell ing how the umbrella had been presented by a body 0 grateful employed emp loyes the man knew that his whole factory looked to him to carry that urn brella on every stormy day and that to appear at the factory on the next rainy day without it would make talk he wished the umbrella was anywhere but where it was and had he been a swearing man he would have cursed the luck that made him take that particular rain shield from the stand in his hallway when he started out when he got within a quarter of a mile ot his home the umbrella seemed to weigh at least fifteen pounds he was fairly out of breath and desper ate he knew when he got home he would be no better off than he was out of doors for he could not get the thing into his house and his house has no areaway along which he might have carried it to the back yard just then he saw a gleam of warm light over the green curtain hung in a saloon window he hesitated then his eyes fell upon the sign side en trance upon a door the door was double he pushed in fact half fell against it and both sides fell open his qualms of con sc ence were stilled now and he marched dragging his icebound urn brella behind him the few men in the saloon looked up in surprise when they saw him enter and there was a faint attempt to escape for the men recognized him as a prominent church worker and they feared he was out on a lit te tour of hia own to gather informs tion against violators of the sunday law but the man pulled himself together sufficiently to say that he had sought a warm place in which to blaw out his umbrella and the bar tenders and everyn one else saw that he was much more uneasy than they ere so they let it pass in less than three minutes the ice slid from the umbrella in great sheets and the man gave the head bartender a quarter tor the muss he had made on the floor he says that was the most uncomfortable walk he ever took in his life and that the next time he goes for his sunday walk in a storm he II 11 wear a mackintosh and let t go at that new york sun |