The Grenada gazette., 1888-06-23
SYMPATHY.
What He Wanted, and Why He
Went to the Mayor.

"Well, what do you want9' asked
the mayor. as the old man finally
looked in the door. He had been pass
ing and repassing in front Of the office
all noon, oscillating in indecision. he
was from the country-a thin old fel-
low, with small blinking eyes and
wrinkled face. His limp red hair had
attained sort of uncertain gray. In
and out the burrows of his shallow chin
a sparse beard bristled, leaving quite
bare spots here and there where he had
rubbed off the hair, rubbing with such
hard, horny hand, year after year, in
moments of indecision evidently the
majority of the moments of his life.
His mouth had been shaped by pipe,
which, drawing down the corner OF it,
drew all the wrinkles of his face into il
as into drain.
"You the mayor of this townp'
The words slid without infection OF
emphasis on to n thin, drawing, nasal
voice.
"Yes. What do you want?"
"Nothin', sir; nothin' in particu-
lar"
There was a pause, as if cogent
reasons in his mind were giving him
another warning. He fastened his
eyes on the mayor S face as if he were
examining seeding potatoes.
81 only want sympathy, sir-sym-
pathy."
He closed his mouth suddenly, all to
the pipe hole, and began rubbing his
chin again. The solution of his doubts
this time resulted in his conveying his
communication in a monotonous un-
dertone to himself. waving all claims
to hearing. which rested entirely in
the volition of the mayor. The small
eyes impartially looked unmeaningly
into space.
Its only that boy o mine. I've
had a powerful lot o trouble with that
boy O mine. I've nussed him, I've
tended him. I've labored with him,
and l--I--l've prayed over him; 1--we
prayed over that boy O mine. y He
looked at the mayor for some EXPIRE s.
sion over this last item.
"Oh, your boy in trouble"
He was tuck up to-day, and jedged.
He's locked up over there" He
stopped rubbing his chin to point in
the direction of the town Jail
LOCKED up, ehP What was the mat
ter?"
Resisted the perlice, they call it.
A feller tried to rest him. He knocked
him down, my boy did"
Resisting the police; eh' resisting
the authority of the law? Well, I'm
very glad he's locked up. You conn'
try people think you can come into
this town and run it just as you please.
No, sir; if you all don't like this town,
you can stay away; but if you do come
here, you come on our terms, and
you've got to behave yourselves. The
mayor very generously reissued this
fragment of the peroration Of his
mornings decision.
You're right, sir; you're perfectly
right. l amt sayin' nothin; ain''
complainin'; | only come for sym.
pathy. They told me you was a gentle
man, sir. l amt got nothin' to say,
sir; only come for sympathy. I'm q
stranger here myself; l 'ain't been
here before in twenty year-not sence
before the boy wuz born. I've nussed
that boy, I've tended him, and I've
prayed over him" "-relapsing into
audible meditation. "He as goods
had no mother. / helt him with one
hand while l 'stritched' her with
t'other-my old woman. She died tn,
fust thing after he wuz born. my ole
woman did. He wuz that puny ant
tiny and red, there wuz no tellin
which eend from t'other 'cept by th'
squallin'."
well, reckon he'll never learn hi
duty to the law younger.
"The old woman warn't much Of ;
help or comfort either" without motto
ing the interruption. 81 don't know
as old women ginerally is. Always a
quarrelin' and a-complainin' and a
settin' by the fire. But she lef' tn
boy to me, the old woman did, ef sh
did die herself-I-I--rve prayed owe
that boy; yes, sir, rveprayed over him
We was a-goin' back home this even
in"
"Onc night in the lookup won't hur
him"
mo, sir; that's true. 1t won't hur
him; it won't hurt him mite-on
night in the lookup. He fout, an
cussed, an kicked, an scritchcd, lik
apa,nter, my boy did. He didn'twan