The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-01-28
XVIII.
THE HABIT INSECT AND THE
WEAKER VESSEL" HUMBUGs.
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XVIII

A few evenings ago Abner Chesley
came in TO see federation about some
matters that pertained to the town, see
ing as he had got elected Tax Collector,
and after they had settled matters 70
Mr.. Chesley's satisfaction, they drifted
their conversation on 70 neghborhood
gossip just as natural as women folks do
for all the world.
John Bates. he that's brother TO Jane,
was discussed first along, and his short
comings were raked over pretty hard II
I'm any Judge Been in the habit OF
lying so long" says federation. don't
know when he's telling the truth He's
kept the grocery store so many years
down here at the -Four Corners. and has
had such a monopoly OF the trade OF the
town so long he's become accustomed to
say most anything that comes into his
head. with the belief that the farmers
OF Canterbury and Hampton will swallow
IL all for corn. But / guess they don't
gulp IL all down so much as he thinks
they do They know the history OF his
forefathers some ! guess, and you know
they were tremendously forehanded for
exaggerating"
YES" says Abner, ."but II appears they
made lot OF money by H. For they've
been counted the richest breed OF any
Of the inhabitants OF the place"
''Of course they did" says federation.
but along with their money they heaped
up a reputation for slSlnfiipts and lyers
that amt envied by the people Of the
town very much / guess"
I've pretty nigh come 10 the conclu-
slon.' says Abner. that a sknhint. the
man who Is In the habit OF pinching a
penny as II he thought twas a sin 10 let
IL 60 will lie II he thinks II necessary
in order 10 make one more cent. All that
is required is an opportunity for him 10
show just the kind OF material he's made
Of"
That's the way the Bateses made their
money" says federation, land it's evil
dently the way that John intends to make
his Never has a load OF grain come into
his store but what It's the best that ever
grew in Minnesota. And -four! There's
no brand such as he carries, not even IN
the big towns. But the women folks
won't agree with him. for they send back
good many barrels that they say ain't
4 good, notwithstanding the special brand
! that he says he gets direct from the
| washburns i'm ST. Paul Sent on I'm car
! load lots he SAYS But ! guess the cars
/ are pretty small that they are sent in.
/ Buys every barrel OF IL over 10 Danielson,
/ and everybody knows st."
THAT goes to show what habit will do
| for a man" says Abner he'll keep right
| on king when he knows that nobody be-
/ lieves what he says Habit is mighty
bad thing wrongly applied but mighty
| good thing when you are honest with II.
| Take a young man who starts out in
! life determined to tell the truth. Forms
| a habit that makes him an honest man,
! and a successful man. But the boy that
/ begins 10 form the habit of misrepresent-
| ing things. where does he fetch up? II
{ f.s, Aan hn n La
a hapha zard sort OF a way, grabbing what
! he can get here and there with the com
\ munity distrustful OF him Nobody wants
| TO approach him with business PROPOSE
/ tion. because they know he's capable OF
lying, and that always means he'll steal
! II he gets chance. Yes, habit can be
made a good thing or bad thing, just
as one prefers.
! you're correct about that says Toll
Grafton 1--WE have plenty Of good ex-
amples OF that. Old Mother England got
| I'm the habit of having her own way about
a hundred or more years back. Got so
| set I'm the habit she couldn't give II up
! But I guess she's satisfied that 1t doesn't I
paw to be quite so stuck on her own notion
! OF things now
proved an awful expensive habit for
her, before she got things settled TO her
! liking or disliking." says Abner.
THE best men I'm the world get into
deem error" says federation, simply
through their habits which lead them 20
! believe that nobody can sec things quite
as correctly as they do Why, now you
lust take David. who wrote so many good
things I'm the Scriptures. You wouldn'
think he'd slop over? But ne ala. In the
44th Psalm he says: Awake, why sleep
! est thou. o Lord? Now what kind OF
way was that for mortal being 10 ad-
! dress the Almighty Creator OF the uni
verse? OF course we may not know Just
what ne meant. and there may be an
error in the translation. But N we take
those words I'm that sentence literally the
! Almighty is accused of being asleep and
not attending TO business!
Don't suppose David meant anything
wrong. but he had been In the habit ot
! having his own way so much, he thought
ne could say most anything he wanted 10
\ and folks would swallow 10 all Tor corn
! lust the same as John Bates does when
! he talks about his grocery store goods
| Habit you see, makes a man reel un-
| duly important. even TO the point OF ar
rogance Habit is the insect that leads
/ a man into a lot Of evils, and makes him
a Laughing stock metimes.
| "Yes" I" SAYS Abner. but then there are
! good habits as we'll as bad habits, and
when they're on that side OF the fence
they're all right" -
"True" says federation. very. true:
| We are ell honestly In the habit OF
/
! EVERYDAY lives by what they average
up I'm their daily labors. And guess
4 IT'S a good thing we weigh them In that
/ wav Tor IN some men were TO be meas
/ ured as we do corn and potatoes. | reck-
on they'd be put In at about three pecks
/ TO the bushel"
/ "Guess that's all John Bates would
/ fetch. at any rate" says Abner, unless
/ he was allowed 20 tell his OWL story and
| superintend the measuring. Then / guess
/ he'd overrun a little
Then they both had TO laugh, because
/ they seemed TO think 10 was a dreadful
\ good Joke 90 compare John Bates TO
/ bushei that would hold only three peolSs.
/ And they chuckled Just as interested and
\ as unconccrned like as I ever heard wo-
men folks at any of their gatherings
when they got 10 talkin about their
neighbors said 20 myself 7 guess
! here'r an example that men can tsttle as
\ we'll a. women Why Is ~ then that the
men folks don't get their share Of the
glory7 That's mores than 1 could ever