South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1892-03-04
THEINTKLLloercER
FRIDAY, MARCH 4. 1922.
100000.

Je6 - VuSo w. nor % poOfs
l an 20 to say. standing upon that
golden middle ground, near enough
to youth to snjoY it, near enough
to age to respect il, near enou Oh to
wealth to enjoy it, near enough to
poverty to respect it. 1t il pleas
anter thus to think, and I am fair
u content. IL l could be richer
and younger ] should no doubt
chs ose it, but sm not Of the opin-
ion tha4 1 should choose to DO rich.
er than l armand older, or poorer
and younger.
Revolving thoughts of this phil
osophic and comforting kind In my
mind one morning month or more
ago. ss | sat in my Office down town,
miserable specimen of q man came
in. He was about my own age, 1
should say, but flu Their than that l
am scarcely willing to carry the
comparison. Dirty, ragged, palsi-
ed in mind and body, unsteady in
limb and eye, abject, ma odorous,
he stood there a fitting picture to
paint in the bottom of wine glass.
1t was not necessary for him to
tell one bis story. 1t was told in
tableau vivant stronger than any
words can tell it, and 1 gave him
money enough to get himself q
breakfast and 8 drink, or two of
them if he felt that his digestion
needed an added stimulant. lie
thanked me profusely and went
away, leaving me with something
else to revolve in my thoughts than
my own comfortable condition.
Next day he came again, at about
the same hour, and the next and
the next for week. Each time he
received my money and / received
his thanks, and as far as l could
discover, each was satisfied with
the exchange. / had money to
spare, and he had thanks to spare !;
we spared them to each other, and
I feel that mutual benefit was the
result.
On Saturday morning when l
came in, the janitor told me dead
man had been found in the build
ing, evidently suicide, and with
q lew natural and reasonable in
quir es, l passed on, and opening
my door found under it soiled
envelope directed to me in a ner-
vous, jerky, chirography, which was
entirely unfamiliar.
1t was a comparatively bulky
communication, but with it was a
shorter note of explanation, from
which / learned that my needy ac-
quaintance of the week past was
on the point of suicide, but that he
was anxious for me to know his
story and had at considerable pains
prepared it, and had delivered it in
person, as ga last remembrance to
one who had befriendei' him.
The letter read as follows:
FRIDAY, CRY, o p. m.
Mr.. Brodkaire Il get your name
from your Office sign):
My DEAR SIR-You have been
so kind to me and want to tell
you my story and will you have 1t
printed in the newspapers so that
from it some, as weak as / am, may
be protected, and some much
stronger may be warned {? / am
forty-eight years old and at twenty
FIVE had a wife and one child and
was quite we'll fixed in business in
the country town where the pa
rents OF both as lived. But /
was ambitious and thirsted for
wealth as many young men do.
All the money on earth could not
have brought me more happiness
than that which surrounded me as
/ was, bnt l did not look ct it that
way, and neglecting what was about
me, thought only Of money, money,
money. / was not Avaricious,
though, and was much more given
to dreaming and wishing for money
than l was to pinching and hoard
ing and driving hard bargains for
it / wanted money, not for what
it waS in itself, but what it might
be converted into with reference 10
my own pleasure. Things ran along
thus for year or 80 when one day
In an old scrap Of a New York pa
per read q notice in the Person
ais" to this effect
If X. Y. n wherever he may be,
will address his fnIl name TO III. A.,
Z. D. box $3.50, or call on him Of
his Office, No. 4, Mail street, he
will hear of something greatly to
his disadvantage.
The notice struck me rs q most
peculiar one in several respects. II
was scarcely possible that any man
would seek to hear Of something to
his disadvantage, and it was most
unusual that X. Y. u. could be the
initials Of any mans real name.
But they were mine, (Xerxes
Young Zimmerman } and that far
/ felt that the notice in some way
applied to me. I cut it ont and
showed it to my wife and after q
good deal Of chatting on her part,
l put 1T in my pocket and said no
more about IL. But / kept straight
on thinking about it, and within