Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-10-18

| gentlemen being kept away by the pro-
5 poets Of shower. +. sd go. t' RI
: Nv ell said Solomon, rather grufly
e on his next meeting with the squire, 9
gol fairly peppered by waiting for you.
4 "You mean by not waiting for me-" re
piled the other worry coolly.
. s:'Peoh! mean no such thing-l meal
precisely what said. If you had no
t been behindhaud, as you, alwa1 S. are,
; should have escaped ducking."
Yes-and if you had not been before
6and, as you always are, It would havi
come 10 just The same thing. Butt how
did matters go on at the meeting? .
:"There was no body there, said Solo
mon, rather sheepishly.
''Then, after all, you got wet jacke
} for nothings'
eyes but then had The satisfaction O
being there in time.''
"And Of being wet TO the skin-whiie
had the satisfaction OF staying at home
and being as d"y as q biscuit What &
pity you are always in such hurry my
good friend"
4 Pooh! it would be well if you were
sometimes in hurry, TOO. Didn't you
lose the opportunity OF buying old Mpr-
tins farm by coming after the sale was
over
$40 be sure did-and did it not ruin
the purchaser? Didn't some of your pub.
lie spirited friends, and be hanged to them,
get turnpike made quite in an other di.
recton, and draw eff all the business from
the store, which was worth more than the
land?'
Hum - and didn't you lose your pass.
age in the stage TO New York, and get
nonsuited in n trial, which had cost YOU
more than n hundred dollars?"
':Io be sure did-and was it not the
luckiest' thing that ever happened to me,
for the Stage broke down on The way, kill.
ing two passengers, besides breaking the
bones Of all the rest! and my lawsuit nev-
er cost me dollar afterwards, for let it
die a natural death "
@And didn't you lose the opportunity Of
marrying Squire Silly's sister, who had
ten thousand dollars in the SwindIeburgn
Bank. by fixing the time Of the wedding,
and then, according to your wise maxim,
putt 1g Till Tomorrow what you should
do to,day?"
"4esl and didn't the bank blow up, the
cashier run away TO Texas, and tho direc-
tors quarrel about hose fault it was, till
the public thought they were all rogues to-
gether? And didn't the squires sister turn
out us great scold as-os-the wives of
some folks whose names will not men
tionl"
'Pooh! pshaw! you have wasted more
time by being to late than
''Not more than you have by being too
early, and thus being obliged TO wait for
every body. The world has always
dragged me along, because have kept be
hind; while you have worried your life out
in trying to pull it after you. You put me
in mind OF a pair of horses Of mine. One
is a quiet, sober creature, the other fel-
low that never thinks he can get on fast
enough, and always pulls horse, plough
and all after him. The consequence is,
one is like me, as plump as partridge
the other, skin and bones just like you
sPsh! every body calls you a fool,
squire!!''
ssAnd you wise man. The difference
is, that walk quietly and moderately be-
hind Old Time, who never interleres with
my lettering; while you take him by the
heard, and oltea get cut Of his scythe for
your pains"
The conversation here ended, and the
wise man and the fool parted as hereto
fore, without either being a convert to the
maxims Of the other,
The truth is, neither OF them was entire
ly satisfied with the course he had adopted.
Solomon so often found by experience that
he might better have left undone many
things he had done, and the squire had SO
often left things undone which ought to
have been done, that in their hearts they
mutually admired and envied each other.
But they had SO long pursued the path Of
direct contrast, and had so many discus.
sions to the advantages of the route each
had chosen-,hat pride now supplied the
place of conviction, and they continued
to become only moro obstinate as they ad
vanced in years.
1t is remarkable enough, that notwith-
standing the opposite ways they took, to
WOO her good graces, they continued E.
oually the favorites Of Fortune, who not
unfrequently, in fit Of female caprice, is
caught by neglect, rather than the inpor-
tunily Indeed, if we look steadily u
round US, and watch her ever whlrling
wheel, we shall not fail perceiving that
quite as many fortunes are lost BY grasp
ing, overweening Avarice stretching his
wi,hered hands to snatch at the shadow
while the substance escapes him, as by the
most reckless prodigality, or the most care
less disregard Of the maxims Of prudence
Solomon was not however miser, though
by no means insensible to that secret, never
failing source of delight arising from the
consciousness Of perpetual accumulation,
which, were it not for the fortunate discov-
ery of the bump Of acquisitveness, might
otherwise puzzle the philosophers. As to
the squire, he,too, had sneak'ng kindness
for the root ofall evil; and although he
took special little care to grubit up,somehow
or other he cotinued to keep pace with his
rival in wealth, while always behind hand
in time. In this process, however, he only
furnished another example OF that great
truth which every body acknowledges and
nubody acts upon. He found, to his sur
prise, that his happiness by no means hep'
pace with his money. On the contrary
the acquisition of wealth only conjured up
la new want He had no child 10 inherit