Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1910 — The Puzzle Craze. [ARTICLE]

The Puzzle Craze.

The pretty young woman with a small suit case stepped briskly up the gravel walk and said, “Good morning-” to Miss Eliza Long, who was enjoying life on her south porch. “Would you like to look at some puzzle pictures?” inquired the young woman. "I’d like to,” said Miss Long, frankly, “but I’ve promised Philander—that’s my brother —not to touch another one for six weeks. By that time he thinks the fever’ll be broken up. “No, ’tisn’t any use of opening that case; I can’t look. ’Twas only last night I promised Philander,” and Miss Long turned her head resolutely away. 9 ■

“I think he was unkind to extract such a promise,” said the young woman with a suit case, indignantly. “No, he’s a kind man,” said Miss Eliza, dispassionately. “He’s borne a good deal. He said last night that he was willing to stand irregular meals and silent evenings, and mornings of neighbors dropping in to exchange while the work stood still, and all such.

“He said he and the other men round had agreed that it had got to run its course ,and then ’twould be over and done with; but when it came to having me look at him across the supper table as if he’s a dummy, and when he asked what was the matter, elegant picture he’d make, squared off with the wall behind and the table in front, he saw ’twas time to take measures—and, thinking it over, I don’t know but he’s right.”