The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-11

liked. II makes us feel uncomfortable
to be in the same room with a person
we know detests us. Sometimes IL IL
were not for our pride we would prob
ably go up to that person and say:
Now you know I'm not in the least ia
blame for this unpleasantness. BY all
rules of judgme mt and reason you ought
to like me. We're on the same earth
and have to live in tho same town for
the present Let's drop this hating
business and be on good terms. It's
an awful nuisance for our friends To
try to keep us apart as if we were in
tending to shoot each other at sight.
They don't dare ask us to dinner at
the same time and whenever they hap
pen to mention one of us in the pres-
ence Of the other, they look apologctic
and act as II we were about to club
them. Let's make the best Of each
other for appearances. sake any way"
But we never do say all that What
we do is TO take ourselves ostenta-
tiously away from the vicinity of our
enemy and look injured because he has
been invited to the same house, and
we don't have n good time. It is so de-
pressing to our self-conceit to be forced
to realize that somebody hates us and
that We are likely to see him at
any moment. The old Persian poet had
the right idea when he said
"Hc who has all the world for friends
Has not "A friend to spare;
But he who has one enemy,
Shall meet him everywhere"
There is nobody so ubiquitous as an
enemy and no one for whose exist
ence we can find less excuse. He may
stand in our way of a fortune, a sweet
heart wreath of fame, a pedestal OF
position or even TO the gateway of
heaven. If he had any sense of pro-
priety he would betake himself to Mic
aragua, or the Klondike, or perhaps
to Wall street-anywhere beyond our
horizon. But he does none of these
wise things. He persists in staying
right on the spot where he can disturb
our equananimity and the enjoyment Of
our religion. But we don't wish him
dead. We might not refuse to be
comforted if he should happen to die,
but We wouldn't rejoice. In fact we
would probably feel a stunned sense of
horror as if the dislike, deep or trivial,
which we had hidden in our hearts,
had some how darted forth and smitten
the one lying now so helpless with no
cynical smile on the solemn lips, no
CLEAN Of instructive distrust from the
close shut eyes.
AS for sending our enemy something
by mail whether a bottle of bromo-
seltzer or a box of Huylers which
would swiftly end his life if he tested
the contents, it is inconceivable. To
the average mind, hatred so cruel, so
bitter so diahOlical as this is not with
in the scope Of Imagination.
We can never be exactly sure of
what is going on in another persons
mind. Apropos of the above subject an
incident may be related. A citizen OF
Scranton, noted for his gentle and
beautiful character was walking across
the bridge to the West Side with q
friend with whom he was chatting in
his customary genial manner. Sud-
denly he paused and looked over the
bridges edge down the great distance
to the surface OF the river. Then he
quietly: II know a whole lot
of men, enough to fill this string pieca
clear across--whom I'd like to see
standing along here in a row. and then
I'd like to knock them over the edge
one by one-so" And he illustrated
his meaning by sending bit of wood
flying into thu river.
The friend looked at him in dumb
Il never heard anything
like that in my life" he ejsculated af-
terward. The mildest. gentlest. kind
est-hcarted man you ever knew! and
yet he meant that.
There Is one home in this town where
the dinner hour burglar will meet with
a warm reception should he visit it at
that time. The servants have been
given instructions to insist upon the
entrance Of any caller while the family
is at dinner and consequently all ears
are on the alert when the front door
bell rings. The other night it rang
just as the members of the family were
seating themselves at the table. The
head Of the house precipitately rushed
toward the han while his wife and
daughters promptly followed and
ensconced themselves behind curtains
and doors, where they could peep nut
at the supposed marauder. When the
door was hastily opened there stood,
not tramp, not a presumable wolf in
Sleeps clothing ready to break in and
steal, but a friend young man who
Gazed inquiringly at the rather fierce
expression on his hosts Visage and
looked with still more polite wonder as
one after another the ladies emerged
from their impromptu hiding places.
The explanations which followed pro-
duced much mrth.
a very popular young society man
told of an experience which he had the
other evening when a business matter
led him to call at the home of an ac-
quaintance about O'clock. The vesti-
bule was rather dim, and as he stood
in the shadow he was surprised, not to
say startled, TO suddenly behold the
master of the house appear, vigorously
grasping a formidable base ball bat, |
which he incontinently dropped when |
he recognized his visitor, as he en-
claimed: II was just going to give |
you whopping big welt"
Saucy Bess.
There Are Others.
Caddeau-Think of the insanity of a |