The Afro-American advance., 1900-04-21
;. 5.y>vsxex.ave~oUeVe
another Ideal Shattered
AlaN;ANA AanNaOia4sAS9 :

,an tomorrow, Smith. haven't yis-
led the old folk in winter for ten years,
and I've been thinking of them all day.
strange this teastly cold weather al
vayx turns my thoughts to the old fire
.ide. where on such day as this We all
nsed to snuggle around the big coal
tove in the sitting-room and eat APP
1les, drink cider, spin yarns. yawn, loll
around as we pleased and go to bed be-
q fore ten o'clock.
''Ah. Smith, we haven't anything like
that old firesitIe in this big artificial
city. Here everything is done for you.
Z You get your fat ready heated,
4 all the hot water you need, groceries
delivered by speaking tube. sidewalks
shoveled by the janitor and yourself
carried down clmost to your office door
oy street car Artificiality every
where. 1t is Il life that tends to make us
azy, to relax our muscles, to breed dys-
pepsia and liver complaint. Give me
the good old days when we had to hus-
tie TO be comfortable. That was when
we enjoyed our little luXuries, because
/ we knew we had earned them. Now |
picture the cid folk beside that big
stove. | have an oyerweaning desire to
step in and share its comforts with
them. If only for a cay. | guess you
aan get along without me?"
Certainly. said Smith. stay longer,
+ you wish. should say that such
prospect would make you long to spend
al least week at home. | can get along
for that time And | may say ] envy
YOU the pleaure you are to have. Alas.
have always lived in this city. and |
know nothing but the artificial com
forts OF steam-heated fiat. | wish !
sere going with you. Take a week. old
nan, and tell Inc all about it when you
get back"
Thanks. oil fellow" said Nicholson,
rising briskly. "If you can stand ii
guess I'll stay away till week from
sunday. See. this is Saturday. ! can
4 catch an afternoon train. get TO the old
s home early this evening and surprise
the old folk while mother is setting her
batter cakes for to-morrow's break
fast Ever eat any Of those homemade
batter cakes? Haven't! Well, my dear
fellow. you haven't lived more than
three-eighths of your life. Now I'm off
See YOU in week. You know my ad-
dress should be wanted sooner"
Sunday the thermometer dropped
away below zCro. and Smith found no
trouble in following his inclination TO
remain IN his cozy, heated fiat, reading
smoking. doing and playing with the
children. He had nothing else to do.
for the ianitor kept the steam at
proper pressure, there was no coal TO
carry in, kindling to split, no early fires
TO build-nothing in short. to do but
4 rest or. rather. as he called it, loaf.
He pictured Nicholson in fancy. and
the picture actually made him envious.
A dozen times during the day he
wished he had been born on farm
or in a small country village, so he
could have enjoyed the old fireside, the
roaring logs in the CRATE, the cider and
apples and the strenuous life which
all this implied. To have everything
done for ones comfort, and by some
1 one else. was not in keeping with his
IDEAS ofproper enjoyment. Nicholson S
graphic picture had made him trifie
discontented.
Sunday night the mercury took Il
drop few degrees lower. but there
was no snow. and the janitor did his
duty nobly. Monday morning was col
loquially termed ''corker." but as
Smith had only block to go to his
train he suffered no inconvenience and
reached his Office with but a vague i'm
preston that IL was a cold day.
At three o'clock that afternoon
Nicholson walked in. dropped his grip
in a corner, kicked the cat over the
transom. lighted a small gas heater
and sat on it.
Smith was so surprised at first he
could do nothing but stare at his part
ner. Then gradually he found his
tongue. Whats the matter. Nick
Didn't find anything wrong with the
old folks. did you? Cider run out
Old fireside covered with icicles?''
Look here, Smith"-and there was
a world of pathos in Nicholson's voice
"a wouldn't tell you a word about
that trip IL | was not convinced it i,
my duty. ! may have set your fancy
going with my description of the time
! was TO have. ! may have made you
discontented with your hard and bar
rem lot in this city. ! want to he square
and honest even at my own expense
| am the originator of that expression
I'D rather be right than be president.
| want you 10 listen TO me while re
Ileve my mind and incidentally reno
one of the biggest myths on earth"
Then you didn't find things as yor
fancied them?" began Smith. but
Nicholson waved him to silence.
You just listen to my plain, unvar
nishef tale and draw your own con
ciuSions. No schoolboy ever startes
out on his long vacation with lighter
heart than | had when boarded III,
train which bore me away from Chi
cago. The pleasant hum of the cal
wheels played an accompaniment to I
varied assortment of day dreams II
which /. as lanky. half-dereloped boy
played a central part. SO wildly dir
fancy play that ] could actually tast,
those batter cakes-and | want 10 di
gresS here long enough TO remark tha
they were the only part of the visi
that was not bitter and humiliatinl
disenchantment
III you have ever gone around tn
head of Lake Michigan ON the trail
you may have noticed that al a villaR
called porfRr thkrss In .,ftar, f,ttff q a ns.r