The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-28

Er0L.MAYER, roll
WNC132 STENCILS, STANpSsl
0fsi mI3sa. Is sJHERlDANE. GROUND FluosJ

fered or drive their stock home. and they
settled with him accordingly, he realizing
not half he expected, which almost
broke his heart. He had almost recovered
from the shock when. the following sum-
mer. he CHANGED to meet the cattle king
OF Randolph county, who had happened
to be in Cincinnati with a lot
o. fat cattle, the same time with the boys.
and who congratulated him on the fine
prices the boys had realized on their cat
tie in the spring; just lucky to strike the
market when there were few cattle i'm AMI
prices ruled high. This was a sorry rev.
elation TO the old man; his boys had not
dealt fairly with him. OF course. he told
them of IL, and after stating the case. asked
mournfully: How could you steal from your
old father that way?" You teached
rs TO, pap" was the only answer. The
story goes that the old king never again
called that transaction stealing. using some
more parliamentary word for IL, realizing
that there was a difference between skin
ming and being skinned. The application
of this story is plain.
But, after all, our offense. though unjus-
tifable, is not an unwarranted one. as the
world goes. Let me tell another story. A
third of a century or so ago i was playing
the role OF an amateur gardener on a few
acres out in the country then, hut in the
city now. Among the things the wife and
children were proudest of was a bed OF
Wilson's Albany strawberries. then all tho
rage. One day a neighbor who had no
garden called, bringing her five-year-old
boy with her. Naturally enough, she was
invited TO look through the garden. see
the flowers and vegetables. and especially
the strawberry bed, about two rods square.
just in fruitage. The berries were beau
tiful TO look at and not bad TO take when
properly prepared, but not i~nexhaustible in
quantity nor hardly the article 10 be preyed
upon without stint. The boys mouth wat
cred, evidently wanting to get at them.
TRY them, Billy" said the wife. mean
ing, Of course, only a few. as a speci-
men. But Billy did not take IL that way.
Dropping on his knees. he said, II don't
care IL L do, and I'll just fill my belly
for once. L never had as many straw
berries as / could eat I'm all my life, n
now I'll have 'em. for they don't cost any
thing" Billy didn't think he was stealing
or attempting TO steal, he only meant 10
nave all he wanted of a good thing because
Ii was cheap. though the act itself could
not be justified when critically examined.
That is about our situation I'm THIS gas
matter. At ordinance rates, when we had
gas, it was the cheapest fuel anybody ever
used In a city, but as IL cost no more
to use il extravagantly we set about nll-
ing our bellies with the luxury. Billy
would not nave thought OF cleaning out the
little patch. leaving none for the family's
supper, IL he had had TO measure all he
ate above what was reasonably implied IN
the invittion TO try them. and nad 10 pay
market price for the surplus. No more
would we have bored out or removed our
mixers or burned the precious fuel day and
night. summer and winter. IL we had had
20 pay for all we burned above what was
reasonably implied in the contract. But
Mr.. Benedict should not say we are steal
parliamentary In the use OF words. and
least of all should he provoke Us 10 tell
who "teached US how" l.. l. SEE
Indianapolis, Dec. 70.