Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1902-09-04
HIS RIOS TR UNI VI

fourteen years ago. 1au HUNT came
along and sat down.
mice box" said Hunt.
| EYES," said Brown.
There was silence for a few mo-
ments. Hunt sat still and looked pen
sive. He had never been able to get
] job. His wife kept boarding house.
and 1t was said that Tad was her man
of dffairs-that is to say, her steward.
could not trust Tad.
Its a queer world" he said, draw
ing a knife from his pocket and open
| ing IL; "men and women everywhere
and nothing but men and women. and
nearly all of 'em making one another
miserable and nothing to show for IL
but the grave at last. The places that
knew them once know them no more
forever, and the sun rises each morn
and sets each night, and none of the
questions of man is answered. Talk
of the sphinx! Why, every blade OF
| grass is sphinx and holds a secret
There is not a star in heaven that we
are not obliged to question. And what
answer have we? Silence. Silence"
| He was tracing a little border on the
! box, made Of an INTERVIEWING of figure
i SIS, and the man who stood near
watched him and was much interested;
so much so that another man who
wasn't doing much either stopped. too.
and watched the making of the border.
Tad looked up and nodded to him.
1T is astonishing" went on Tad, Ito
see how men toll and toll. This man
has one schemean the next man has
another. Yet talk with any man over
forty and you find him to be n grave.
yard of blasted hopes. The struggle
has been in vain. Even success proves
to be failure, for no man makes sue
cess which satisfies him.
| "And yet ii is the destiny of man to
aspire. Some great power beyond him.
self drives him on to hope. He must
rise He is a part of the scheme OF ev-
olution and cannot help himself any
more than as If he were mollusk in
the sea. He is driven to settle Ameri
ca, invent machines, to make laws
adapted to wider ideas of liberty. He
congratulates himself on his improve
ment, but he has really no call to con-
| graduate himself. He Is driven by the
winds Of destiny"
He did quite strip of the border In
silence. wiped his forehead on his shirt
| sleeve-for he wore no coat-and re-
peated with pensiye accent:
DRIVEN by the winds of destiny"
These remarks were repeated about
town by those who listened to them.
"Tad Hunt is quite a philosopher in
his way" they said. Tad had stayed on
the box the first day till noon and re-
turned at 2. after which he left the
spot at 5:45. The next morning he was
OH hand at 8. Brown thought 1t looked
rather busineSslike to have crowd
| about his doors and didn't object much.
Besides. he enjoyed Hunts reflections,
which came nearer being thought than
anything Brown had met with for
some time. He almost thought himself
| as he listened to them and summoned
| from that unused chamber politely
| denominated his mind sentiments OF
approval or disapproval. AS time went
on Hunt improved in appearance. To
be sure he was no more particular
about buttoning his cuffs, nor was he
more addicted to the wearing of coats,
! but certain look of fire and enthusi-
assn came to his eyes, such as may be
seen In the glance OF popular actor
or preacher. He walked down the
street to his box mornings with an
alert step. He became eager for his au-
dience. Sometimes he returned In the
evening and talked till time for 81 ut
ting up shop.
AS the years rolled by his audience
changed. but he seemed to always be
able to secure hearing from some
one Thus il came about that he sat
perched on his place of preaching for
fourteen years and differed from the
East Indian mystics who DO similar
things principally in the facts that he
went home to his meals and that he
| desired TO disseminate his views.
! One morning Hunt came from his
| house to the store. There he stopped
as If parGlyzed. A cold perspiration
crept out OH his forehead. He grew
red and then white. For the box was
gone. The pulpit was destroyed. The
high place was oyerthrown. There was
n crowd about him presently, chatting
him and roaring. but Hunt seemed TO
hear nothing. lie looked about in utter
dismay.
Then something remarkable hap
pened. Tad brought suit for damages
against Brown. The court had to ac-
tually consider the ease. and Tad Hunt
was his own counsel and put up an
eloquent argument. So the court grant
ed him the suit and gave him penny.
In way Hunt felt himself indicated.
but that didn't restore his box. for be
had been unable to secure Inanda.
mus for its return. SO he walk, c. about
| sadly for a few days. looking detached
like a protoplasm cut off from Its
own particular Shiny ooze-and at last
stayed indoors at home. After that the
boarders began to leave. and one day
Mrs. Hunt broke up house aud took
Tad away with her on the train. They
didn't saw where they were going The