He Had Some Difficulty In Getting The Aged Carpenter To Make It

Steele Mackaye, the dramati't, can teil a good story ae well as write a tïood ptay. At Wormley's he was Tclatii ■ ol hls 6 periencee in the llttle village oï Concord, N. ('., where he spent some timo. "I wamted a tablie made," he began, "and wae dlTected to the village earpentcr. He was an aged laan, and when T finally found liim lic was leisurdy enjjfaged in the inantlactiire oí a coífin. It looked is if ie had been at work npon the coffln tor o, week'. 1 aisked liim if he could make me a tatole. He-'allowed' that he could when he 'got at it.' 'And when will you get at it ?' i a.skcd. Smldenly lie pari'iiMl my -direct qr.eslion wlth anothcr. 'Wiiat kind of a ■bable lo you want?' lie asked me, wiili the air oï w man who lias got llic onemy cornered. "I l-sca-ibed the tablo, and the old man again feil into deep thonght. At last, when I showed somc impatience, he told me 'to come again next week. "A week later I reminded liim ftbout my table. Yes, he rcmembered the conversa tion, bat lie roally did not think lie could ko to work ■upon it nntil he had seen some of his iretatives. He ddd not exactly know where they Uved, but he was positivo that they had to he seen before my table could be begun. Besides this, he hadn't iny lamber. " '-Where can I get the lumber ?' I asked ín desperation. "Well, he thought it could be obtained at the ïnlll. And where was tihe mili V Twelve miles away. Bo I mounted my ihoree and Btarfced for the mili. I íound it alter a long search. It was a dilapidated affair, and the saw was lialf way thraugh a log. But the saw was vusty, ,a sign that it had ■not been in use for a week. A woman came out oï a house near by tuid answered my shouts. 'I told her that I wantod ,to sec the owner of the mili. " 'What 'do you want to sec liim for ?' she drawled. I told her about the lumber which I needed, and her husband came out. He was a long, lean, laak fellow, and he was sucking a yam. It was the funniest sight you ever eaw. AU during his conversation lie siicked this yam and fepoke in elow, delibérate tences. He finally concluded that be did not caire to take the trouble to cut the lumber, and I rode twelve miles to town." "And did you ever .get the table ?" asked the reporter, who listened to t.he story. 'Down by tlie railroad was a lactory," eaid Mr. Mackaye. "Nobody in the town had anentioned it, althongh fiity people had told me of the a#ed and work-deferrlng carpenter. I iound the factory by accident, gave )ny order ior the table and liad ít delivered to me within tAventy-four honre.- Washington Post