The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-05-21
Too Mean for Hanxinr.


The meanest man In Ill this lanu OF
United America went: down from Lin.
coin, Nebraska. into Kansas; the other
day. Mind you, he WASH . Nebraskan !;
he was an interstate immigrant COM
ing from somewhere east of the Mis-
sissippi. At Wymore there is a mer.
chant who carries his stock in q has.
ket, 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-law, asked the price of
popcorn. ''Five cents a package. "
That was too much. He didn't want
any. After the merchant left tho car
the mean man said: Il want some o.
that ere popcorn, but I 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
inehic-briates: ''.Say,, mister, 1 want
some Of that popcorn, but 1 hain't
got on'y three cents. Now, if you
kin lempe. have q paper of it fur three
cents, all right; but KANT give no
more fur 1t, because hahn / got on y
that much money" Well after some
pickering, the merchant finally let
him have a paper of popcorn for three
cents, and the mean man came in the
car, sat down beside his wife aud lit
tie child. and began ,munching his
popcorn. Never a crumb did he offer
to anybody, He was just enjoying it.
He said Il had enough, money to buy
his whole basketful, but knoowcd I
could get some for less'n five cents:.','
As he munchcd, his father-in-law and
wife seemed to understand they were
not in on that treat, but the child be
gan to reach UP its little dimpled
hands, and in the sweetest childish &C.
cents beg for some popcorn. Save to
hold the package up out of 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 her husband, IF the
child is any hungrier'n am an wants
this popcorn more 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 fel.
low began to cry for the corn: This
must have annoyed the father, because
he soon arose, put the popcorn up in
the rack out of the child's reach; and
went into another car. While he was
gone the child continued to cry and
reach after the banquet; and the moth:
er took the popcorn 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 shatched the popcorn away
from the child ana 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 case Of this kind-and the
above is a truthful narrative of an
actual occurrence--is not lynch law
justitiable? Is not that kind of man
more valuable and useful as a fertili-
zer than anything else? Ism he a curse
to society as long as he lives? And
might he not prove blessing to the
medical student and barren land
where he dies? Then why not kill hi m
and make a blessing Of him? The
world has no use for a mean man. A
drunkard, liar, swearer, a thief,
a tramp; swindler, murderer. may
have some sphere of usefulness in this
world. but d mean man, pure and
simple-God wasted mud when He
made him 49, Rurf1pfk ~, RrookIun EnrIo