The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-05-15

Bingleton was chuckling TO himself all
the morning, which wa rather singular,
for Bingleton was a morose sort Of a fell
low. His fellow bookkecpcrs at Barker,
McLiss IL Co.'s banking establishment
had frequently averred that Bingleton
was a convincing exhibit In the chain Of
evidence proving the evolution Of man
from the vegetable kingdom. Bingle-
toms original ancestor, they were cer-
tain, had been nothing more or less than
a lemon, and IN the growth from lemon
to Bingleton nothing but the form and
capabilities had been changed The sour
ness all remained.
Suddenly, however, Bingleton began
TO pan out q new kind Of ore, as it were.
Occasional chuckles had been noted for
months, but such q series of them as this
morning had adduced was something
hitherto entirely unknown.
"Some one Of his friends must have
died." whispered Of the clerks to his
vis-a-vis. II don't believe anything but
misfortune could make Bingleton smile,
and chuckles like that must indicate
some dire happening in his circle-if he
has q circle"
~ don't believe he has q circle" said
another clerk. ''If he has, he's probably
at the very central point, 30 that no part
Of the circle shall be nearer to him han
he can possibly help"
81 think it's important enough to ask
about" observed the first clerk. "He
may be going mad"
So Bingleton was requested to explain
why he chuckled. Contrary to their ex-
pectations, he received their inquiries
pleasantly and explained.
'I'm laughing at some things my boy
has been saying recently" he replied.
'"You haven't a boy, have your queried
the clerk.
"How could he say things TO make me
laugh If l hadn't asked Bingleton, with
a frown.
"Of course ne couldn't" said the clerk
meekly, shut you never told us that you
had q boy, you know, Bingleton, and so
If the sudden realization that you have
knocks us silly, you oughtn't to be angry
with u.s."
"'That's all right" Bingleton replied.
~ don't wonder the boy knocks you silly,
because alongside Of him all other boys
dwindle into half witted creatures. The
point about my boy Is that although
he is not quite 8 years old, he says such
awfully bright things. For instance,
the other night when his mother was
singing him to sleep, he said, 4 know
what stars are for, mamma. What
are they for, Henderson, she asked-hs's
named Henderson, after my wife's broth
CT George. His last name was Hender-
son-and so was my wife's for that mat
ter. But TO come back to the thing he
said. I know what the stars are for,
mamma said he. What are they for,
Henderson, she asked.
"You see, we always make it q point
TO inquire into the slightest little thing
In which the boy takes an interest.
That's only right, You know. If parents
would be more oonsiderate Of their chill
dren's views, the race would be the bet
ter for il. My parents were always so
with me, and I feel the good effects Of it
every day I live. The other course
makes cynics Of children and makes
them appear to others to be out of SYM
patty with the world. So when Hen
derson said, 4 know what stars are for,
mamma Mrs. Bingleton very naturally
said, What are they for. Henderson,
Then he blurted out with, Street lamps
for birds Wasn't that bright? By jove,
I've been laughing more than a week
over that"
Here Bingleton gazed sternly over the
top of his ~spectacles at the second clerk,
whose mirth did not seem to be alto
gether adequate to the situation.
"You don't appear to see the point Of
that remark. Mr.. Tompkins," he said.
"Oh-indeed / do. Ha-ha-haw laughed
Tompkins. "Why, Of course. l don't
show my mirth quito 81 effusively as
other people do, that's all. Besides, 1
think the humor Of the boys remark is
not of the side splitting sort. 1t gives
rise to an intellectual guffaw down in
~one's-ah-in ones insides. 1t is the
same kind of laughter N INDUCES in
over some subtle bit Of humor which
(which one would rather expect to
find in O volume Of essays than in a comic
paper"
he must be a very bright boy" said
the first clerk.
"Oh, that isn't anything to some Of
the things Henderson says" said Bingle-
ton. 'He told me the other night that
grass was green because II wasn't red,
white and blue. And when he was up
in the country last summer he told a
farmer that he oughtu't to let the sheep
lick their chops for fear of swallowing
the paint. You see, Henderson's toy
sheep have painted mouths, and of
course"--
"But I don't see how sheep could lick
their OWL chops" said Mr.. Tompkins.
"The chops come from the sleeps ribs,
and they're inside, not outside"
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