The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-07-30
MY WEAK POINT.
An Uncomfortable Habit with
Many Disappointments-

It's very curious thing. / don't
know how to account for the tendency,
but nothing ever happens that ] don't at
once begin drawing inferences from 1t;
and, In the same way, when any thing
that ought to happen does not, ! soar i'm
medlately into the infinite regions Of
the possible, and revcl In deductions,
always logically arrived at but invar-
iably wrong. am not conceited about
Il; but never met any one so hopelessly
given to the practice as ! am.
sometimes think my proneness thus
to draw inferences must be hereditary;
my parents we're great at 1t, so 1t Is pos
sible got II from them. IL was quite
wonderful how much they could deduce
from little thing. For instance, when
was small boy, developed q mania
for consuming bread and butter at odd
hours and reading books beyond my
comprehension. used 70 combine
these occupations, and preferred to In
dulge in them when ought to have
been at play. For long time my par
ents regarded these pursuits with lack
OF sympathy; my mother docked my
poclet-money as often as ! was reported
70 have ''cut new Loaf" and my father
pointed sternly TO the compressed dabs
Afbuttor withw embellished the
pages OF his best books was driven
berforce 10 eat and read In secret.
But one fine day change came over
the spirit OF my parents The change
lay in their sudden adoption OF fatally
different course OF treatment Ny taste
was discovered TO be not only harmless
but eminently praiseworthy, and was
not only permitted to road and eat, but
warmly encouraged 70 do both. puz-
xled over II a good deal betore-in the
course OF my reading-I traced this
happy change TO its source. Ny father
had been hearing anecdotes OF Lord
Macaulay, and had discovered, or been
told, that the story OF his childhood fur
nished an exact parallel TO mine. The
infant Thomas loved TO sit in corners
eating bread and butter and devouring
books whose contents he could by no
possibility understand. He avoided his
playfellows and sat all by himself read,
ing under shady trees, precisely as / was
wont TO do. To my parents, the deduo-
ton TO be drawn from these striking
condolences was obvious; another Mao
auley had been born In me. AS soon as
they realized this, the doors Of the
pantry and library were thrown open,
and the housemaid received orders TO
supply mo with bread and butter dd 10
dum on demand. ] took full advan-
,tago OF my opportunities, and only
wished that my great predecessor had
expressed o preference for bread and
Jam. ] asccrtained when too late that
the youthful Macailay had rooted an
Hpathy 10 going TO school, and that COM
pulsory attendance was eventually
found to do him no good. II was last
ing regret to me that my father had not
nsde this really valuable discovery
when he made the other. have called
Lord Macaulay my predecessor; he was
regarded In this Light At that time; but,
long since, II has been generally ac-
knowledged that his reputation is In no
danger Of eclipse by mine. It is not my
huit that the authors Of my being have
been disappointed. They drew an infer
ence, and II was wrong.
As II was with my forebears SO Is II
with me now. and has been for as long
as I can remember. One particular case
stands out like landmark; II owes, its
prominence solely 10 the fact that II
was the FIRST OF its own especial kind,
and that is why select 1t from the ten
thousand instances Of reasoning from
insufficient data, 70 which / am adding
every day. II was when proposed TO
the first Of tho only girls ever loved.
y wrote In strain Of devoted human
ity (which was right and proper,
tsince she was twelve years my senior),
1aying my hand and fortune--salary Of
sixty pounds year-at her feet. How
i watched the postman for the next few
daysl One day passed, but there came
no reply, two days dragged by, and
three and four, but she answered not.
'she Is considering It." said 10 my
self "Couragei She can't make up her
mind, and wants timei Think what .
fiutter she must be in. and possess your
soul In patience. She 10 wavering; and
when woman wayers she is lost-that
Is, gained. won. conqueredi'' g
But she wasn't saw her on the
evening Of the sixth dsy. and she said