Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-08-13
MY WEAK POINT.
An Uncomfortable Habit, with
Many Disappointments.

It's q very curious thing. I 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
mediately into the infinite regions of
the possible, and revel in deductions,
always logically arrived at. but invar-
iably wrong. l am not conceited about
it; 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 were great at it, so it is pos
sible got it from them. 1t was quite
wonderful how much they could deduce
from little thing. For instance, when
I was small boy, / developed mania
for consuming bread and butter at odd
hours and reading books beyond my
comprehension. | used to 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
pocket-money as often as / was reported
to have ''cut a new loaf" and my father
pointed stern1y to the compressed dabs
of butter with which embellished the
pages of his best books. l was driven
perforce to 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 a totally
different course of treatment. My taste
was discovered to be not only harmless
but eminently praiseworthy, and was
not only permitted to read and eat, but
warmly encouraged to do both. / puz-
zled over it good deal before-in the
course of my reading-I traced this
happy change to its source. My 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
won't to do. To my parents, the deduc-
ton to be drawn from these striking
condolences was obvious; another Mac
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 me with bread and butter dd 65-
fum on demand. / took full advan-
tsge of my opportunities, and only
wished that my great predecessor had
expressed preference tor bread and
jan. ! asoertained when too late that
the youthful Macaulay had rooted an
tipathy to going to school, and that COM
pulsory attendance was eventually
found to do him no good. 1t was last
ing regret to me that my father had not
made this really valuable discovery
when he made the other. have called
Lord Maeanlay my predecessor; he was
regarded in this light.at that time; but.
long since, it has been generally &C.
kRowledged that his reputation is in no
danger of eclipse by mine. 1t is not my
fault that the authors of my being have
been disappointed. They drew an infer
ence, and it was wrong.
AS it was with my forebears SO is it
with me now, and has been for as long
as ! can remember. One particular case
stands out like landmark; 1t owes its
prominence solely to the fact that it
was the first of it's own especial Kind.
and that is whv s:scciiect it from the ten
lousand instances of reasoning from
insufficient data, to which ! am adding
every day. 1t was when | proposed to
the first of the only girls l ever loved.
wrote in a strain of devoted human
ity (which was right and proper,
since she was twelve years my senior),
laying my hand and fortune-salary of
sixty pounds year-at her feet. How
! 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 to nay
self. ''Couragel She can't make up her
mind, and wants timel Think what
futter she must be in, and possess your
soul in patience She is wavering; and
when woman wayers she Is lost-that
is. gained, won, conqueredp'
But she wasn't ! saw her on the
evening of the sixth day. and she said
she had quite forgotten my letter; she
icGs so sorry. And then she laughed
And II, unhappy one. sneak away
cut ot the house, feeling in my pockets
tor two-pence to take tie bus to West
minister bridge. Life was not worth
living, of course. groaned as / passed
out OF the Terrace, for ! had decided
upon taking the corner house, that she
might be near her mother. 1t seemed
as though the staring sTo Let over the
door had been left there On purpose to
femind me of it / know better than to
draw any inference from girls onis-
sion to answer letter now, but for the
life of me can't help doing it some
times.