Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
DID THE RIGHT THING

ITO err is human, to forgive divine"
has passed into the large and constantly
increasing catalogue of trite axioms. but
the expression simply because 1t has be-
come ossifiea into chestnut.
Whereof, little illustrations:
couple of weeks ago a rather wild
young chap an employee of one of the de-
partments. suddenly made up his mind to
abandon his job and go to a far western
city to try his luck in a profession that
he had picked up here in Washington.
He had been living with his Older
brother and the latter's family here for
number of years. When he announced his
sudden determination to his older brother,
winding up by saying that he was going
to start that same hight the older
brother let out on him for the .swiftness
of his recent pace.
1t was a tongue flashing right, but the
day was hot and stuffy, and this older
brother has a craggy temper; and he was
sore on the young un on account OF
good deal of damphoolishness." as he
phrased it, in which his junior had In
dulged for "a number of months proceed
ing.
1t wasn't, in truth, exactly the kind of
talk that a man should have thrown at
the head of an only brother about to start
out on a long trip. to be gone an indeh-
mite time, and the victim of 1t felt pretty
badly about it. although. having whole
lot of respect for his older brother, ne
stood for it in lip-Quivering silence.
Go to the devil in general in your own
way and he done with it, was the Older
brothers final shot, and then the younger
brother, lot wrought up, went GOWN
town to put in the three or four hours De-
fore his train started for the west.
The older brother then. for his part sat
down and devoted himself exclusively 10
the business of feeling like small piece
@lx -t.,1 hnf a
on His mind reverted to the boyhooo
DAYS when he and his Junior brother mad
Whitfield kite sticks together ana owned
the same yaller dog In common anu
sneaked off to the "crick' to SWIM, ana
how many a time a lad he had Iought
to a Finish for the kid'-and the belly
Dustin" on the one battered SLED tha'
they owned together-and the
"All in ALL" said he to himself, as these
old things chased through his re1not sci !
mind Il think that I'm about the size o.
the ordinary summer Kitchen snat ..
civilization. Who knows put wnat , Ina.
burned whelp may get sick OF something
or other out yonder where ne hiAiis w.
and say, if
He looked up at the clock. Lets see.
he starts at 7 20, doeSh { ne he ~
And it's now 6:45.
The older brother threw on his coat anu
caught downtown car by haiI. -. ne
car hadn't gone three squares belore lHer
was a blockade. The remorsefui oluer
hroth her shifted nervously in his seat, look
ing at his watch every three seconds for
while. and then he jumped into passing
cab and told the driver to go IKE -1ury 10
the Pennsylvania station-that he q pay the
fine if the driver should be nabbed Tor fast
driving. ,
The echoes of the station callers All
aboard!' were ringing in the station ratters
when the older brother jumped through the
gate-he knew the gateman, and the latter
waived his lack of a ticket-and the 40
train was just beginning to stink out. Inc
osder brother ran like a deer until he
reached the slowly moving sleeper, and. by
great good luck, he saw his Junior broth
ers head inside open window.
Hey, there, bud, pass US your mitt! he
shouted, sprinting along with The train, and
the younger man passed his hand out or
the car window for a swift shake.
That growl we had this morning dom
go, you understand" gasped the older
Just cut out remembering that. Be a
The departing brother understood. and
shouted his goodbye The older brother
had to blow his nose furiousy as he walked
back toward the gate Perhaps he was out
of breath from his sprint.
There's a little old quotation that reads
not literally, but something like this:
Let's be kind and do the square thing
by all hands as we Hnger at this mile
stone. for we'll not drop by this way
| again..
And the meaning and application of the
| same has been causing the aforementioned
older brother much thought of late what
| time the mellow bells of St Aloysius have
tolled out the quarter hours of the night