Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-04-06
POLITE TO THE LAST.

impossible, utterly, SAID the willy
man. Evidently like the street beg
CARS he gets his living by his i'll
health
1T isn't i'll health" interrupted the
nervous man, petulantly. IF it were
| would have a great deal of sympa-
thy for him. No one could have more
excuses for true invalid than my
self. But that raspy, hacky, tickling
cough-hugf! hugf!-fairly SOS me
wild. 1t isn't cough, it's "a"
Nervous ailment, just like your
own, isn't it?" innocently suggested
the stout man. "He doesn't seem to
get any more fun out of it than we do
He sist at his desk and coughs till his
throat feels as IL 1t was on fire; and he
goes to bed and coughs till he falls
asleep from pure exhaustion"
The young lady boarder had not ven
tured an opinion till the nervous man
turned to her and asked her II the
fellow did not annoy her.
81 cannot say no and am ashamed
to say yes" she answered gently. AS
you have said, he undoubtedly has the
worst of It,"
AS she rose and left the room, the
murmurs redoubled, including her in
their criticisms; kindly to be sure,
but
"She wouldn't say anything against
him, you know" said the short man.
"They used to be engaged to be mar
ried once. Shouldn't wonder II she
couldn't stand the cough then, herself
Strangest thing to me that they seem
to be good friends just the same" He
pitched his chair nearer to the rest OF
the group and added:
81 know one thing that will be good
news to most of us. The land lady has
given him notice to change his 'bo'ding
place Said his cough disturbed
every one, and twas everybody or
him"
The elderly lady colored as he an
swered:
ooh, don't know that we want him
to leave. He seems to be nice, quiet
little man."
But the quiet little man had received
his notice; and blushing, confused, the
next day he left the house and passed
on his way, still coughing.
Not for the first time had the cough
proved his enemy. Even his faher
and mother had been annoyed by It,
His schoolmates had ridiculed It, His
fellow clerks had chaffed him about
it. And when the chatting or ridicule
or annoyance became painful to him
and the cough became uncomfortable to
others he was merely asked to move
on"
After he had left the boarding house
It was several weeks before the young
lady saw him again. Perhaps for her
sake, perhaps for his own, he had not
told her where he was going, and ii
was with feeling OF surprise that
from her position In the choir she saw
him enter the church one evening
advanced she did not know.
She did notice, however, that he
looked wretched, i'll, and now for the
first time feeling Of concern for her
friend overcame her.
He had hardly seated himself before
the little sound was heard, the begin
ming of his cough.
, The minister stopped several times
for the noise to cease. Evidently they
could not both run at the same time,
He glanced at the disturber with some
wonder at first: then annoyance; then
vexation. He began to grow pale,
They said he had bad temper; 1t be-
gan to show. He had not spent hours
on finely turned sentences to have
them drowned by that.
He made longer pause than usual,
and the annoying cough was partly
hushed; then, as 1t showed signs OF be-
ginning again, the minister glared al
him in such an unmistakable manner
that, STOPPING for his hat and cane,
dropping one or the other as he passed
down the aisle. the young man left the
church.
The baize doors swung silently be-
hind him and the congregation settled
down with feeling OF relief.
A few moments later, contrary to all
custom and church etiquette, the sex
ton hurriedly made his way to the
pulpit and whispered to the minister
The face OF the latter flushed and then
paled. and for almost the first time In
his life he discarded the platitudes
with which ne doctored his peoples
souls.
81 must ask you to pardon me for
short while" he stammered. II am
needed outside"
But he was not at all needed when
he got there The young lady was
leaning above the poor fellow with a
cough, who. helpless, dying, held her
hand in his and smiled as he whis-
pered:
81 am so glad that you are here.
Florence. came. hoped to see you