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Show I By EDWARD RIDDLE PADGETT. GETTING ACCLIMATED . VVI HEX the Townbred houpehold I 11 1 aTVoke tho morning: after the removal from the city apart-merit apart-merit to tho country "place" It Five Oaks. It faced a day that was to be full of surprises and no little disillusionment though, fortunately, ft was not aware of the fact. Mr. Townbred, for example, had tried to Imagine what the difference would be between performing his morning ablutions In a tiled bathroom and In a wash-bowl balanced precariously preca-riously upon an antique stand which hid lost one leg In the moving. But he soon discovered that he had been woefully deficient In imagination. Then Virgie, the cook, appeared presently to solicit Mrs. Townbred's aid in persuading the oil stove to behave be-have at least long enough to Insure the preparation of breakfast. And John, the hired man, followed shortly afterwards with news that there was A- breach In the earthwork around the foundations of the hous which must be filled In Immediately or all outdoors would be washed down Into the cellar at the first hard rain. All of which, happening so quickly and so early in the morning, might have been considered the "bad beginning" begin-ning" that presaged the proverbial "food ending" But Mr. Townbred , y permitted himself to indulge In no' such vain hope, for he was mindful of the fact that he was now a city man living in the country and must keep his "fingers crossed." Yet even' he could not entertain so much as a ' glimmering of what would happen before he again retired for the night While waiting for breakfast he strolled about casually to get a better bet-ter acquaintance with the "place " ! The barn looked really Imposing and the stalls ready for their occupants Ur. Townbred sighed, for he knew It1 would be but a short while until Mrs. Townbred would begin to "stock" the place. He selected the portion of the barn that would serve as a garage for the new automobile which was as yet :' only In the "f o. b" stage. "'Scuse me. Mlstah Townbred," said ' a voice presently from Just outside the I wide-flung barn door. It was John. Instantly Mr. Townbred had a pre- ; monition that he was about to i be asked some question concerning agriculture and that his answer would assuredly reveal his profound Ignorance Ignor-ance of the subject. So he prompt- n SPSS t0 b mSt n his statements and he treasured ne thought that, as a last resort, he cou.d reply "You'd better see Mrs. Townbred about that. John; she Is managing everything out here, you know, because I haven't the time." Scuse me. suh," said John again, entering the doorway. "Dcre's sumpen . le mattah wid de well." "The the well?" gasped Mr. Townbred. striving nobly to conceal the consternation raging within. Here was an emergency he had not anticipated antici-pated a well was obviously a subject sub-ject for the masculine, not the feminine fem-inine mind! Wells? All he know 1 about wells was that they had water In them and yes an 'old oaken j bucket' somewheres around. "What's i the matter with the well, John? Hasn't ' it any water in it?" "Yassuh," answered John, shifting ! hl weight to the other foot, "it's got watar In it. but " ; "Then what's the matter with it?" Inquired Mr. Townbred, In a quite superior tone. "Yassuh. it's got watah In It, but I can't git it up. When I draps de bucket down it don't no mo'n half nil up. suh." "Hum-ra-m." Mr Townbred was sparring for time. Suddenly he had an Inspiration. "Then why don't you got a longer piece of rope?" ho asked. John changed feet again. "It's like dis. Mlstah Townbred," he explained. "I got plenty ob rope, but dc bucket rests on de bottom ob de well en I has to Jiggle de rope en' turn de bucket ober on his side on' den It don't git but half full." "Hum-m-m," remarked Mr. Town-bred Town-bred again. Another inspiration! "Then we'll have to deepen the well. John!" he said, with all the wisdom of the Delphian oracle. "Yassuh," John agreed, "yassuh Ah kin manage to git along fer a while dls way. but Virglc say she don't see how she gwino do no washln" lessen les-sen we totes de watah from some place olse." Mr. Townbred heaved a sigh of re- j lief; at least he could not be expected to do that. "Here, we'll go look at it, John, right away," he declared, having noticed no-ticed that both Mrs Townbred and Ylrgle were out on the back porch looking down the well, whose gaplnx mouth opened right into the porch flooring. "Well, what do you think of your well?" inquired Mr. Townbred. with a trace of sarcasm in his tone, as he i and John reached the porch. "It's it's er a it's inconvenient, Ruthvln," Mrs. Townbred replied, "and , II admit that I should have dlsoov-red dlsoov-red this defect long ago. But we' j can have it deepened and then It will j be all right it's fine water, Ruthvln. I everybody round "here says so!" "Hum! I dare say it is after you get it!'' growled Mr Townbred. "Here John, hand me that bucket. I'll see how It works myself." So, with an appreciative audience ; looking on. he lowered the bucket down down down into the well; and, after fully thirty-five feet of rope had been run out. he h-ard a faint splash In tho depths. He waited a moment or two for the bucket to fill and then hauled up on it. It wasn't easy work and It had ht en a long, long time since his hands had touched any rope more worthy of the name than the thin cords which raised and lowered the awnings at tho windows of their apartment back i in town. Up, up, up came the bucket But.! alas, it contained no more water than ! what had been sloshing around in it when lowered. Mr. Townbred's sur-prise sur-prise was apparent "When you gits It down on de bottom, bot-tom, "John hastened to explain, "you has to Jiggle it, like I done 'splalned, , suh." Mr. Townbred sighed and reached for his handkerchief to mop his per- , I spiring brow. "Very well, John," he j said resignedly. "You take it I never was much at 'jiggling' buckets " So John gave a very efficient ex-j ex-j hlbltlon of how it should bo done, while Mrs. Townbred tried to conceal a smile "It'll be all right when the well's deepened a little, wont It Frieda?"' Ruthvln asked plaintively. "Yes, indeed, I'm quite 6ure that's j all It needs " m "'Scuse me. Missus Townbred,"! VJrgle spoke up, "I almos' fergot to ; toll you. A man come heah early dls mawnln' en say ho knew de well got- j ter be deepened erbout eight foot en' will you give him de Job. He say he'll do it fo" fifty dollahs en en he kin furnish de dinnymltc hlsself, en maybe he won't blow up much ob de back ; po'ch." "For Pete's sake! Much of the back porch?" gasped Mr. Townbred. Then, turning to his wife. "For fifty It Wasn't Easy Work. cents a month In tho city, my dear, you can get enough water to float a battleship!" But the remark was completely lost. She stood as one stunned by a sudden sud-den and terrible blow. "Isn't breakfast ready. Virgie?" asked Mr. Townbred. tartly. "There's something to eat, I suppose, even though we haven't anything to drink." "Yassuh, right on de table durectly. suh" And Virglc hurried into the kitchen, whll John kept on with the fascinating game of "Jiggling the' bucket" Just as they were finishing breakfast break-fast during which Mr, Townbred ate with one eye on his watch and an ear opn for the whistle of the "seven-forty "seven-forty car" at the station above Five Oaks Virgie entered the room. "Dere's a man outside t' see Mrstah Townbred." she announced. "Who Is he? And what does he want?" Mrs. Townbred asked. "I dunno his name, ma'am, but he wants t' blow up de stumps." "Blow up the stumps!" echoed Mr. Townbred In amazement "What; stumps?" "De ones all ober de place, suh," Virgie replied. "Why blow them up? Why not let them stay where they are' What have they done?" asked Mr. Town-bred, Town-bred, turning to his wife. "Oh, that would never do. Ruthvln," she hastened to explain. "We'd have to plough around them and, besides, we'd be losing the use of all that land, you see." "Yes, I 6ee," retorted Mr Town-bred Town-bred "But did you see. Frieda, before be-fore you put our money Into this this ?" ImBI "Certainly, Ruthvln! Don't you be- Sw llev I know anything about the coun- 9 try! Of course I knew they would fflS have to be blown out. with either dyna- Pmi mite or powder. And before we piaS bought the place someone told me it would cost about five or ten dollars" " 'Scuse me, ma'am." said Virgie. MP "Dis man say do cheapest it can be WL did fo' is fo'ty-ftve dollars He say 5?. de ten dollars you speaks of pays fo F 4 ii only de dinnymite en' fuses." IrI There was a silence, an ominous jsfiml one, broken suddenly by the whistle of the trolley car In the distance. Mr. Townbred Jumped to his feet, grabbed P up his watch and rushed out Into the felrN hall. E'W- "That'll be about all for me today!" M?- he called back, as he struggled into fft. L his coat. "I'm through! Ninety-five dollars in one hour is my limit, and y ou've got to show me that it's cheaper p'f. to live in the country than in town. r But maybe you've got an inside tip that there's a gold mine under the I" , ' barn? Gbye!" f And he set out for the station on j- the run. iNi- (Copyright, 1916, by Edward Rtddl h'S Padgett). f:v& |