The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-19
THE AMATEUR REFORMER.
[From the Chicago Tribune.l


The young fellow in the chestnut sorrel
overcoat took a chair by the side Of the
tall, attenuated man with the bored look
and observed:
These noon political meetings reach
good many people who haven't time to
go to hear the spellbinders in the big
tents"
presently into another chair, near win
This does seem to be- better place"
the young fellow remarked. following
him over.
7 beg your pardon
Here the tan man moved again.
This. is better yet" the young chap
said, following him with unabateu
cheerfulness. It's out of the SUM-"
The audience was rather slow in as
sembling, and the youth in the chestnut
sorrel Overcoat took a coffin nail from
small pasteboard box in his pocket,hgh
ed it, and began to smoke.
Il hope this isn't offensive" he said
ION the contrary" returned the other,
tits an imprOvement-say did you
notice what you did with that match?,
1t had been thrown on the floor ana
was still blazing away under the chair
of a large, pork-built citizen VINO hao
dropped in for an hours political in
struction and was unconscious OF MS
danger.
looking al it carelessly- 1t won't do any
harm, 1 guess
20, no, it won't do any harm-I guess
Only ten or fifteen houses, so far as L
know, have been set on fire by that sort
of idiocy. If you were working for me,
young man, and did thing like that in
my place of business, all the harm It
would do you would be that you'd have
a So chunk cut out of your weeks sal
airy for the first ofense, and you leave
my employ to accept position some
where else mighty suddenly for the sec
Ond offenSe."
s.NTavha Won hannen to own this build
ing, mister"
.sNo. I don't own this building, and I
don't own this fat man you are trying
to touch off. 1 am only laying down a
general principle. l think man Who
will throw a lighted match anywhere
should be excluded, after he has per-
petrated the offense three times, from all
the privileges conferred by the Declara-
ton OF Independence--
Il don't care dog-on what you think
about it. You'll have your hands fun
If you go around after people who throw
lighted matches on floors
Let me call your attention to the fact
my young friend, that I am not going
around after you. have made two or
three separate attempts to increase the
parallax between US. but you have IN
sisted upon impinging on my orbit, ana
do I make myself entirely cIearf
You're trying to have little fun
with me, maybe?"
'.No''-here he surveyed him somewhat
critically feel more inclined to weep
I would know what to do with you.
I'd
Say, there's something you said
minute ago I'd like to have you clear up
When / asked you if this thing m
smoking was offensive you said it was
an Improvement. / don't exactly under
stand. What did you mean by that?"
well, that's rather delicate subject
Let me ask you, young man, # you are
trying to live on Is cents day
What's that got to do with it2''
Because. if you are, you have some
excuse, you know"
Excuse for what?"
But if you do it merely as an amateur
or for recreation or an experiment, may
hap, or because there is nothing else on
the table
do wfat2''
That would be different. But for a
man who has no strong incentive, or
isn't trying to win a wager. and has no
justification other than mere Whim, or
carelessness, or a desire to placate some
boarding house keeper, say
What are you talking about. blame
you?s
"A thousand volcanoes blow you up.
young mani Don't you know I'm talk
ing about onions? You've been eating