Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-07-14

Fourth dven1te.
his own self pity. The old gentleman's
eyes were bright with the giving pleas
We. HIS face was getting more lined
ach ;ear, but his little black necktie
was in as jaunty bow as ever. and
his linen was beautiful and white, and
his gray mustache was curled care
fully at the ends. And then Stuffy
made q noise that sounded like peas
bubbling in pot Speech was intend.
ed, and as the old gentleman had
heard the sounds nine times before he
rightly construed them into Stuffy's old
formula of acceptance.
"Thankee, sir. I'll go with ye, and
much obliged. Pm very hungry. sir"
The coma Of repletion had not pre-
vented from entering Stuffy's mind
the conviction that he was the basis
of an institution. His Thanksgiving
appetite was not his own. 1t belonged
by all the sacred rights OF established
custom, If not by the actual statute OF
limitations, to this kind old gentleman
who had pre-empted it. True, America
is free. But In order to establish. ira.
dition some one must be repetend-
repeating decimal. The heroes are
not all heroes Of steel and gold. Set
one here that welded only weapons OF
iron, badly silvered, and tin.
The old gentleman led his annual
protege southwark to the restaurant
and to the table where the feast had
always occurred. They were recog.
nized.
Here comes de old guy" said q
waiter, dat blows dat same bum to
meal every Thanksgiving"
The old gentleman sat across the ia.
BILE glowing like smoked pearl at his
cornerstone Of future ancient tradi-
ton. The walters heaped the table
with holiday food, and Stuffy, with
sigh that was mistaken for hunger's
expression, raised knife and fork and
carved for himself a crown Of imper-
ishable bay.
No more valiant hero ever fought his
way through the ranks Of an enemy
Turkey, chops, soups, vegetables, pies.
disappeared before him as fast as they
could be served. Gorged nearly to the
uttermost when he entered the restau-
rant, the smell Of food had almost
caused him to lose his honor as gen.
tleman. But he rallied like true
knight. He saw the look of benef-
cent happiness on the old gentleman's
face-a happier look than even the
fuchsias and the Ornithoptera amphri.
sius had ever brought to it-and be
had not the heart to see it wane.
In an hour Stuffy leaned back with
a battle won.
"Thankee kindly, SIR" he puffed, like
a leaky steam pipe, "thankee kindly
for hearty meal"
Then he arose heavily, with glazed
| eyes, and started toward the kitchen
| A waiter turned him about like top
and pointed him toward the door. The
old gentleman carefully counted out
| $1.3O In silver change, leaving three
nickels for the waiter.
They parted, as they did each year,
at the door, the old gentleman going
south, Stufry north.
Around the first corner Stuffy turned
and stood for one minute. Then he
seemed to pun out his rags as an owl
pufrs out his feathers and fell to the
sidewalk like a sun stricken horse.
When the ambulance came, the
young surgeon and the driver cursed
softly at his weight. There was no
smell Of whisky to justify transfer to
the patrol wagon. so Stufy and his
two dinners went to the hospital.
There they stretched him on n bed and
began to test him for strange diseases,
with the hope Of getting chance at
some problem with the bare steel.
And, 10. an hour later another ambu-
lance brought the old gentleman. and
they laid him on another bed and
spoke Of appendicitis. for he looked
good for the bill.
But pretty soon one Of the young
doctors met one Of the young nurses
whose eyes he liked and stopped to
chat with her about the cases.
"That nice old gentleman over there
now" he snid. you wouldn't think
that was a case Of almost starvation
Proud old family. I guess. He told me
he hadn't eaten thing for three days" J"