Evening star., 1898-05-07
TAUGHT HIM A LESSON

The hasty man fashions many a bitter
pill for his cwn consumption, and the hair
trigger temper is almost always a boom
! crang to its unhappy possesSor. At the in
tersection of Pennsylvania and New York
avenues few afternoons ago there oe-
Cured an incident that implanted in the
Kindly heart of a well-known young Wash
| 1ngton man a quality of shame that will
unouestionably serve as one of the larger
lessons of his life. The young man, ac-
companied by the young woman who is 10
fecone his wife next month, was standing
close 10 the curtstcne at the junction of
the two avenues awaiting a Georgetown
car. The two were chatting merrily. The
girl was in high spirits and her laughter,
the a5sonance of silvern bells was Meas
ant music. Suddenly the young woman
ceased her laughter, and looked, with a
lasn or worrlment in her expression. in
tne direction of fine-looking and WELL
di iessed man who was standing On the
pavement, leaning slightly against an avn
ine poie Her escort. perceiving the sud-
oen change in her manner and expression
aiso looked in the same direction
why does that man gaze at me so
stfanSeiy! said the girl. He has been
looking at me with that same intentness
ever SINCE we have been standing here and
soHetlmes half smiling, tOo l am sure.
10 not Know him. What can he mean?'
Ihe young man with her flushed with
anger as he looked upon the man pointed
OUT py his fancee. The man, with big, clear
gray eyes. was still regarding the girl with
a deep fntsntness of expression, a smil ,
Hlckerfng at the corners Of his strong
mouth. He leaned easily against the avn
ing pole, and carried heavy cane loosely
IN MS left hand The girl saw that her
f1ancee was becoming wrought 10 over the
apparently persistent and 1lirtat1ous stare
oil the man.
On, never mind" she said Probably
he thinks he knows me- Perhaps, indeed.
he has met me somewhere"
..,r1 Nothing OF the Sort was the reply.
me fellow Is masher, pure and simple.
He needs lesson"
The object of the conversation Kent hfs
gaze riveted Upon the face If the young
woman, even when the latter's fiance ap-
preached him menacingly. The ,,oung feI-
low, powerful man, raised his right arm,
ana, with all of his force, struck the man
with clear gray eyes on the right side Of
the face with heavy open palm The
marks Of his fingers stood out rediy on the
cneek EEK OF the man he had struck.
III teach you, you loafer, to ogle young
women on the street." said the young man
as he delivered the blow.
The expression that appeared the face
or the older man, Immediately he felt thu
impact or the blow, was almost inconceiv-
ably pathetic. He started, and then turned
very pale.
Man he said in very low tone, II am
stone blind"
to forget il. nor can any Of the witnesses
think of the really Eitiable grief of the
young chap who struck the bow without
feeling for him. He fairly took the blind
man in his arms in the frenzy of his ex-
postulation. The blind man generously
made light of it all, but he could not miti-
gate the heavy humiliation of the hoI-head-
ed young man.
Il heard the laughter of a young wo-
man." said the blind man. quietly 1T re-
minded me of the voice in merriment of a
girl 1 knew before my sight was taken.
That is why l turned in the direction
whence the laughter came"
Then a negro lad, in the livery of a but
TONS" emerged from the drug store iEto
which his master had sent him on an er-
rand, and taking the blind maa by the
hand, led hnn carefully up 18th street.
The men and women who saw and heard
it all felt almost as sorry for the naturally
generous but foolishiy impetuous young
man who had struck the blow as they did
for the blind man.