American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-04-17
THE TIDE AT THE TURN.

Arthur U ShduUhnessv, IN AthsssUum.
THE TIDE AT THE TURN.
There is tide in the Affairs of men.
which, taken at the flood. leads on TO fol-
tune"
"Why. this is like bit out of Gran
tord." said I to . friend, as we cam,
out into the clear winter twilight, from
. house where she had taken me to PAL
. call.
Eyes; Mrs. Gaskcn would have mad.
. charming picture out of that cozy little
parlor. with Miss Sarah sitting alone
there, SO round and fat and comfortable
looking" E. Pretty, too" interposec
1; she must have been pretty whe1
she was young." "That parrot, too
It is as good to her almost rs child
and as Troublesome" my friend doe.
not believe in the delightfulness o.
children-) "And Miss Phillis makes q.
much of the parrot as her sister. wish
you had seen Miss Phillis; but she IL al
ways out of afternoons"
And then learned how, at the Other
end of the town. lived an old gentleman,
very helpless and infirm, whom Miss
Phillis for years had gone to see every
day. for an hour or two. reading OF
talking to him.
walking beside his Bath-chair. She i
NOT It al ike Miss Sarah, but very tall
and thin. and decidedly active for her
years. This winter / hear. poor Mr..
White cannot go out at all, but Miss
him."
..Is he relationpa'
"Oh no; only very old friend. An
old bachelor, too-quite solitary. Peo-
pie do ssy-have said it any time these
thirty years-that he had better have
married Miss Phillis, and that she would
not have objected; but one never knows
the truth OF these things. They have
been most steady friends. anyhow
Here, truly, was q chapter out Of
Cr0xf0rd. or out of human life generally.
Once had myself CHANGED to see MI.
Whites funny little old man in q
brown -Brutus wig; it was difficult to
make asentimental hero of him. Still
have always been rather fond of
Miss Phfllis," continued my friend.
s.sShe would have made q good mans
freside very bright. Perhaps Mr..
White was one Of those who are always
missing their chances, who cannot
take the tide at the turn II 90, it
was . pity. So many let happiness
slip by them, and regret it when too
late. Not that am aware of Miss
Philiis' regretting anything. She 10 q
very cheerful-minded woman, and In
invaluable now to old Mr.. White.''
We were neither Of MS in . moraliz-
ing mood, being also cheerful-minded
women, and bent on enjoying as much
- possible our brief winter holiday
frosty but kindly" Ike our own adj
vancing age-so the conversation
dropped
Since. however, it has often REQUIRED
to me; noticing how very common is
this fatal peculiarly of not being able
TO g take the tide Mt the turn, espe-
cialIy in love affairs That of Miss
Phillis and Mr.. White may never have
existed 1t all, except in the imaeina-
ton Of their friends; but have known
several other cases in which . little
honest rashness would have been the
best wisdom
Ono case especially: q young couple,
playfeilows from childhood; all their
friends agreeable to and expecting
their engagement-nay, waiting some
what anxiously for the gentleman to
make up his mind" and say the final
word. which from pure shyness he de-
Ayed doing. At last, one Sunday
the young lady was going away on Mon
day-he determined to speak, in their
usual evening walk home from church.
But '.rll go to church with you to-
night" said an unconscious, well-in-
tenfioncd friend. Alas! "two is COM
pany, three is nome" The proposal
was not made-never made. Three
dsys afterward the lady accepted
long-persistent sutton. who years before
had made up his mind-and declared
It, Well, NO hearts were broken APP
parently. She married, but her old
playfellow IL . bachelor still. He
comes now and then to see her, romps
with her children, plays chess with her
husband. and does not look at all mis-
cradle. Yet, perhaps, when he goes
back to his handsome empty house. he
wishes things had BEEN little differ
ont.
However, love, Il it be the heart of
Life, constitutes only small portion of
1t externally-to man at least. On
many other rSatters besides love mat
tiers this inability to take the tide at the
turn Is most fatal. How many q man
owes his whole success in life to the
faculty Of being able to see the golden
moment. and catch it ere it flies! "All
things come alike to ALL" That is
(with very rare ex@ptions), every man
has certain number of chances-the |
difference lies between the one who |
grasps them and the one who lets them
slip. An unanswered letter. an ap-
pointment broken, train missed, NAV,
Tor all we know, change the color Of
our whole existence; all the more be-
cause we do not know; until. looking
back, we see upon what trivial things
mere accidents, apparently-hinge
the most important events of our lives.
A situation applied for at once, and
gained "just at the nick of time;" q
drst invitation accepted, not neglected;
. business letter answered without de-
lay; an appointment kept, with trouble
and pains, yet still kept; these small
things have many time proved the
keystone of the arch on which young
man has built his fortunes. "Only 9
quarter of an hourr' said an old man
20 young one who was apologizing
carelessly for having kept him waiting
thus long. my friend, to that quar-
ter Of an hour I owe everything in
Life"
Between the courage which seizes an
opportunity and the sanguine rashness
which snatches at everything and
grnsps nothing. is a. wide difference
as between bravery and fool-hardiness.
Sometimes one may make q mistake.
A lady once told me how she stood be-
fore post ollice with letter In her
hand-s momentous letter, written on
he impulss 81 the moment apd With > !
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