The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-11-28

| portion to their wealth. But how does
| that affect US? Would you leave q
wounded man lying in the street be-
cause. some one else, better able to
care for him, passed by?"
II had not thought Of that" said the
judge, refectively.
II can quite understand why this
matter never came home to you" Bull
lard went on. You look out over your
broad acres, and the strife and tur-
MOL and suffering of the city seem
far removed from you There Is a ma
tural contentment that makes it all
seem something with which you have
no concern. Sitting here in the quiet
Of the evening, surrounded by my own
| great fields, confess that also
might forget the misery that lies so
far beyond my range of vision. 1t is
an ideal life, in spite Of the work, or
| rather because of it-a life that never
can be known to the very rich or the
very poor-and for that reason it
| should inspire man to sympathetic
thought and action. He should look
beyond his own peaceful surround
ings.~
You think I should give for the re-
lief of the unemployed of the city,"
said the judge, thoughtfully repeating
his previous question.
II do, although you understand, of
course that I TIM considering you only
as the representative of Glass;"
II understand" returned the judge
"and you draw strong and impress
sive picture. Will you permit me to
show you the other side of it,
Il shall be glad to have you do So"
1T will be necessary" explained
the judge, ito dwell somewhat on my
personal affairs, but, as compensation
for that, will agree to leave the ques-
ton OF my contribution to the unem-
ployed entirely to your judgment when
I have concluded"
"That is decidedly generous,
laughed Billiard, "for l am an interest.
ed party, and fear you will lose by
it."
But the fact that you have contri-
buted, not alone of your money, but of
your time, shows that you are earnest,
and convinces me that you wish to be
fair, ask no more than that"
THANK you for your good opinion"
said Billiard. "Show me the other
side of the picture, and I shall strive
to prove myself a just judge"
II am of the city myself" began
the judge. Most of my life has been
spent in the city, and l thought of
the country very much as / imagine
you think Of it. looked forward to
time when I could enjoy Its peace
and quiet, for l planned in a sort of
indefinite way, ultimate retirement to
farm tat would ge me the health
and contentment that go with an out
door life. The time came sooner than
| expected. / had worked hard as
lawyer, had been elevated to the bench,
and finally found myself the victim of
a nervous disorder that necessitated
an immediate and complete change of
life and environment. The city was
for me no more; l must have more Of
physical and less of mental labor; I
must live in the open air, free from
the mental excitement of city life. To
some men this would have been SER
ious blow, but, aside from the natural
anxiety about my health, it was not
to me. / never had had the ambition
for great wealth, and, beyond securing
reasonable comfort, money represented
nothing to me. I had a little
enough, it seemed to me, for nay mod
est needs this merely fastened
the realization of dream of peace, to
which my wife had looked forward as
eagerly as l, and in the same indefinite
way. We told ourselves, when assured
that with this change my arouble held
no menace, that we were rather glad
1t had been forced upon u.s.
The judge rose and motioned to the
fields that stretched away on all sides.
Come and see what we purchased
as a foundation for our dream of rest
full happiness" he said
Together they strolled in leisurely
fashion down a.lane, the judge quiet
ly continuing his story. There were
bright moon and cloudless sky. and
the condition of the fields they skirted
could be easily seen. Some were. in
fair condition and some showed evil
dences Of neglect.
"All this looked more enticing to us
at the time said the judge, "and we
thought we were in wonderful luck to
get it at a reasonable price. The
owner explained that he was selling
at sacrifice because he was unex-
pectedly leaving the country. I have
learned to look with distrust on sacri-
flee sales, but this seemed to be all
right The farm is in the fruit coun-
try, the soil is good, the rainfall is
sufficient, and excellent fruit is raised
here. It seemed to me that the for
mer owner had not made the most of
his property, which I attributed to the
fact that he probably had not the
requisite capital After making the
purchase, I had a reasonable margin
Lea g. :y,av, ,t~ r s~~+