Evening journal., 1900-02-24
THE REFORMEK
How He Secured Half Page gor
His Book.


His Book.
Among the passengers scattered about
The bow of the lake steamer leaving tho
dock for its regular trip TO the North
ern resorts was a tall angular person
In a loose-htting suit of crasn, who
turned 10 the young man standing
nearest TO him and said:
II hope you won't mind my mention.
Ing It, but you squint"
do ]" responded the other passen.
ger with a leisurely sort of drawi.
Thanks"
Using the word in its colloqulal and
unscientific sense. l don't mean that
the Axes of your eyes are not coin
cidpnt-"
''You don't? SO good Of you"
cor that you glance at things in an
oblique or sidelong way, but you twist
no your face and look through half
closed eyellds. To be technically cor
rect, l should say you blink"
There's nothing Ike being technical
ly correct" drawled the other. except,
J perhaps, attending strictly to ones
! own business"
Il used TO blink like that but. but 7
caught myself at il once and quit.
There's no use In ones forming an un-
I slightly habit when"
Now, do YOU know it's Infinitely
kind Of you to-"
You don't suppose, do you, young
man, l am so thick-headed as to fail
TO grasp the Idea that you are trying
TO be sarcastic? 1t isn't my affair, Of
course, If you deliberately choose TO
make faces at things when you look
at them, but when l see a fellOw-being
unconsciously making himself ridicu-
lous l never can resist the impulse
| to-"
That's a great pity"
What's a great pity"
THAT you can't resist the impulse
IL argues, you know"
Among the sins reckoned as deadly
young man, ingratitude is one Of the
most conspicuous. When l saw you
standing there blinking like a sore eyed
] dog, | assured myself that nobody was
in hearing distance before L spoke tC
You. / was careful, moreover, TO speah
/, IN a low tone. so as not to be heard
by anybody who might be passing. II
!. after having your indrmity pointed oul
10 you in a perfectly respectfui man
ner--"
/ you look like a man who could afforl
10 wear clothes that At him"
"And ! don't? Well, this Is a habi
that win wear itself out and your
won't The longer you squint the
worse you'll sQuint. IL you had takeI
little more kindly the admonition
gave you, my young friend 1 shoulC
not feel impelled to tell you that The
watch chain you wear deccives no one
The department store clerk from whom
you bought it year or two ago fo
SL3S assured You IL was a 'gold-fiiled
chain, and would wear for fifteen year
and look exacbly like gold. Well,
won't. The thin wash has worn of
the links already, and It has a cheal
7 look about it,"
"Ilke that necktle you are wearing
Z perhaps"
NO Hardly. This tie of mine doe
e not pretend 10 be anything but a chea
3 cotton affair, but it is neat and clear
B Ii isn't trying to masquerade as a sill
S tie 1t isn't washed with silk and
C wasn't bought as a silk-filled tie. ES
0 cuse me for mentioning 1t, but yOu ar
] blinking again"
IN blink, or sQuint, or wink. O
y glare, or stare or look cross-eyed, o
E any other way l darn please. Y0
I needn't waste any more of your valua
T. BILE time on me"
"Going to keep on blinking and max
q ing faces just the same, are your
ell Il win if / want to-"
I do it for spite now, will your
: IF I feel like it. sir"
''NYel, mused the tall, angular pas
. senger. 81 don't seem to have don
you any good. that's a fact. But don
allow yourself to think, young mar
4 I've been wasting my time. / haven
y wasted n minute. 1 am gathering ma
terial for n book I expect to write, er
titled, Blamed Fools have Met an
= can use you to the extent of nalf
y page. at the very least"
Whereupon. with a genial smile b
{ turned and walked slowly to the ster
-; Of the boat to take a last look at th
a Masonic Temple looming up diml
: through the smoke.-ChicagO TribunI