The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-08-23
PAYING AN OLD SCORE.
BY CHARLES FREDERIC Goss.

1t was one of those days when the
elemental forces of both the inorganic
and organic worlds seem to conspire
to thwart single tiny atom-a man.
The heavens had disgorged them
selves of floods of rain, making the
pavements wet and slippery. Two of
the people whom I had gone to In
dianapolis to see were out,of town, and
the rest were too busy or cross to talk
freely with me.
I sat in the lobby of the Bank
House meditating on the perversity
of nature and human nature, scowl-
ing over the failure of my plans and
the chagrin which / knew my clients
would experience when made my
report. For long time I was too
absorbed with my own troubles to
take the slightest interest in the
throngs of men who scuf1ed across
the marble floor, or sat in the easy
chairs, smoking, reading, scheming,
regretting, hoping, fearing. At last
looked up, and began to wonder
whether any one of them was as mis-
erable as I "What were they all
struggling after?' I asked myself,
cynically. How absurd they seemed
-fussing and tuning, caressing and
pluming themselves Of course they
would fail in the long run, no matter
what they were struggling after
Nature always Twins the game" at
last, however ardently the gamblers
play I made these comments in a
general way as swept my eyes over
the mass, and then began to single
out individuals and to say to myself:
'"That old fellow all hudd1ed up in
the corner has got his solar-plexus
blow Anybody can see that! He'll
never stand up for another round !"
"That nabob over there with his
back to me (the stout man with the
Prince Albert and two rolls of fat over
his collar) is millionaire; can tell
it even from rear view Nothing
is so demonstrative as success. Its
capacity for self-revelation is infinite.
But no matter That blood-vessel in
the left lobe of his brain is getting too
thin Some day, while he is sitting
in his office like a spider waiting for
its prey--click the vessel has burst
and it's all over p "And that young
swell in his dress suit (going to a
reception, 1 suppose) thinks the world
is his oyster, does he? Well-so did
I when / was his age !"
There wasn't passage in Ecclesi-
astes or Schopenhauer that l couldn't
have swallowed whole, so low was I
in my spirits, when suddenly my at
tention was attracted to stout old
gentleman of three score and ten Cor
thereabouts) who sat right next me,
in an easy rocking-chair. He had
Just taken his hat off and was rub
bing his bald head with silk hand
kerchief; after he had made it shine
like door-knob he polished his spec
tacles, then he smoothed his knees
caressingly with his hands, and final
ly rubbed them together in that uni
versa1 gesture by which men give
silent expression to absolute content
ment. l now looked at his face it
was wrinkled, but ruddy and rubi-
cund, and was lighted by a happy
smile. That smile exasperated me
1 was in one of those moods when
even harmony is discord when even
the song of a bird rasps the nerves
like the filing of saw. What was
this old fool smiling at? A man of
his years ought to know better than
to assume that silly grin There's
nothing in life to make a man ygenu-
ineLy happy, and it's sheer hyprocisy
to try to appear so !
Blissfully unconscious of these Gym
ical comments of mine, the old man
smiled on, and after while polished
his forehead again, then his specta-
cles, then caressed his knee, then
rubbed his hands together, as before.
My lip curled. / had hard work to
keep from telling him what I thought.
But after he had repeated this panto-
mime as many as six times, my mood
began to change, and at last found
myself unconsciously smiling zOIth
him. 1 suppose, if he had cried, I
should have wept with him-so mys-
teriously do these instruments in the
great human orchestra tune each
other to their own keys. In sur
prisingly short time my interest in
the old man had become so deep that
I actually forgot my own troubles
and determined to find out what had
made him so happy.
Excuse me- said /, touching his
arm, "but l cannot restrain my Curl
osity any longer. / am suffering
from horrible attack of the blues,
and you seem SO happy that | would
like to share your pleasure.
He turned suddenly, eyed me sharp
ly (and / noticed that his eyes could
pierce as we'll as twinkle, and re-
piled, "How did yon know was
happy?"
"Oh-you have been rubbing your
hands together and smiling in a per-
fectly unmistakable way" said.
"Have I? Ididn't know lit But
say, stranger, you hit the nail on the
head-I am happy And if you want
to hear about it, I'll just read you
chapter out of my 1ife," he said.
ST do" I answered eagerly.
cit may be long one and dull
one-to you -
"pll take my chances. Itcouldn't