Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1893-04-21

solf 9 shake und foil into a dozen
pieces He had no sooner ceased
speaking than cigar stump thus ad-
dressed me: =
= My unfortunate friend. cease COM
planning. once held a more elevated
position in the estimation of man than
you. was fondled and caressed with
the. hands and the lips of one of the
most prominent men-in fact be-
lieve he was a congressman. He en-
joyed me for few minutes, and while
was congratulating myself over the
Importance Of my position and the
conspicuous figure l was makin~ in
the world. suddenly found mys; in
this slum and fifth. the most dirt id
disgusting of objects But let that
pass Do you know. my dear stump
OF match. that such is lie with man
kind? You have not vet seen all OF
our associates OF the gutter. Wait
but little while: and perhaps you will
see men. and maybe women our COM
panions in this filthy abode.
The cigar stump ceased speaking;
and was wondering at his strange re-
marks. when, with an oath and a
splash. a man fell into our midst, and
threw me with great violence on his
back. / soon became composed, how
ever and began at once to view my
change OF scene. I noticed that the
mans clothing was coarse, threadbare
aud dirty; that his hair was long.
matted and unclean; that his trousers
were ragged and greasy. and that his
shoes were rusty and full of holes.
lhe cigar stump nestled under one of
ms arms: the cork shoppers wabbled
about MS face; the struggling guilds OF
tobacco found lodging in his hair and
a cheese pairing chung behind one of
his ears.
This is strange said I to myself
Us this man, too soliloquized a
castaway? Has he answered the pur-
pose OF some ones qualification, and
when ne became of no further use,
has be been cast Off? Whose work
was this? Did the man. of his own
tree choice, select this unusual bed?
Did others help him to it? Or did
some other power far beyond my
humble ken, precipitate him to the
level OF a brute?-for hogs and men
were. OF all the animal creation, the
only creatures had ever beheld, wal
lowing in the gutter
Perhaps he too, was as much
changed from his original state as an
insignificant half burnt match or cigar
stump. SO snugly lay the huge
bloated bulk in our midst that the
passers-by at night could not we'll
have distinguished him from the gen.
eral offensive, Shiny mass.
ALTHOUGH my own state was de-
graded and wretched, ! now took a
more cheerful view OF my fallen con-
dition. l had been made simply for
mans use, and held very .insignif-
cant position. but here was one of the
lords OF creation who had fallen far
beneath my humble degradation. He,
800 like myself, had no doubt BEEN at
some time or other the instrument of
another's pleasure profit ambition or
revenge.
The more looked at the man, and
the more / reflected upon his condi-
ton, the less J lamented nv own.
This man. / thought to myself. was
once the joy of a mother's-the
pride of a fathers heart And is this
the harvest of that Joy and pride, to
find their erstwhile chuboy-faced babe
besotted. bedraggled ragged and
dirty. lying in the slum and filth of
the street?'
After the man had lain in deep
stupor for several hours. he began to
move restlessly and soon his reeling
form moved on, and l was once more
thrown into The gutter: Since then,
l have seen many other men tumbling
in upon US. Some would often stag
ger through our midst but would OBJ
tain sufficient equilibrium to prevent
them from falling. They were of all
ages. young. middle-aged and old men
men of all stations in life; men of
all grades OF intellect and virtue"
Thus ended the tale of the match.
l leave it to the reader to extract the
moral if it contains ne.-Arkansaw
Traveller