The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-05-01
The ACME OF MEANNESS,
A Case Il, Where Lynch Law Was Indi-
Gated, and Unstable.


Gated, and Unstable.
The meanest man in all this land OF
United America went down from
Lincoln, Nebraska. into Kansas, the
other day. Mind You. he wasn't q
Nebraskan, he was an Interstate I'M
migrant. coming from somewhere cast
of the Mississippi. At Wymore there
is a merchant who carries his stock in
q basket. and he is famous all that land
over, for his popcorn. He came on the
car with his wares, and this mean man,
who was travelling with his wife, little
child of perhaps three Years, and his
father-in-llw. asked the price OF pop
corn. ..Five cents a package" That
was too much. He d dn't want any.
After the merchant left the car. the
mean man said: Il want some o that
'ere popcorn, but kin git it cheaper'n
that. Presently he went out on the
platform and said to the dealer
in the fruit that cheers but not
ine-hic-briates: Say, mister. l want
some of that popcorn. but l hain't got
o'ny three cents. Now. if you kin
femme have paper of it fur three
cents. all right; but 1 KANT give no
more fur it. because / hain't got o'ny
that much money! Well, after some
dickering. the merchant finally let him
have paper of popcorn for three cents.
and the mean man came in the car, sat
down beside his wife and Little child
and began munching his popcorn.
Never n crumb did he offer to ANYBODY.
He was just enjoying it. He said: Il
had enough money to buy his whole
basketful, but l knowed l could GIT
some fur less'n five cents As he
munched his father-in-law and wife
seemed to understand that they were
not in on that treat. but the child began
to reach up its little dimpled hands and
in the sweetest childish accents.
beg for some popcorn. Save to hold
the package up out of the reach of the
pleading little hands the mean man
paid not the slightest attention to the
baby. but kept on eating. Presently
the mother spoke to him and said the
child wanted some of the corn. "Well,"
replied the husband, IF the child is any
hungrier'n l am, an wants this pop
corn more'n do. he'd ought to have
it." But he kept on eating it himself.
and never grain did the child get
Pretty soon the little fellow began to
cry for the corn. This may have an
noyed the father, because he soon arose,
put the popcorn up in the rack, out of
the chIld's reach, and went into anoth-
er car. While he was gone the child
continued to cry and reach after the
banquet, and the mother took the pop
corn down and gave some to the little
one. While this was going on the mean
man came back. Furious? You never
saw anything like it. He snatched the
popcorn away from the child and
poured torrent of abuse upon his
wife for daring to touch his popcorn.
Then he put it back into the rack and
at intervals got up and ate some of it
until it was all gone.
Now. in a case of that kind-and the
above is a truthful narrative of anactual
able? Is not that kind of a man more
anything else? Isn't he curse to So
ciety so long as he lives? And might he
not prove blessing to the medical
student and barren land wnen he dies?
Then why not kill him and make
blessing of him? The world has no use
for mean man. A drunkard, liar,
q swearer, a thief. tramp. swi1dler,
a murderer. may have good traits and
have some sphere of usefulness in this
would. but a mean man, pure and SIM
ple-God wasted mud when He made
him.-Bnrdette. IN Brooklyn Eagle.