The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1908-12-31

live by the truth. Nothing less will
| do for me-"
My friend was sitting in her home
one day not long ago, when there came
ringing at her bell; and, as her one
servant was away for the afternoon,
| she herself answered the door. With.
| out stood an old man with kind eyes
4, and a cruel mouth--a very old man,
greatly wrinllled, and with huge pack
on his back.
81 was sent here by a neighbor," he
said, "who told me that had just the
I sort of wares for which you cared the
most. She said she thought | would
! find you a generous purchaser"
| There was a curious accent In the
old mans speech which my friend
could not quite place. 1t was at once
familiar and unfamiliar, and she could
| not tell whether she liked or disliked
| It. But she bade him enter, for he
was old, and, besides, she thought he
might, indeed, have something that
she wished to buy.
"My wares" he said, ARE very an
cient. IL would be difficult to find any
thing more antique
Then | hope they are beautiful"
cried my friend, for | have no use
for ugly things, no matter what their
history may be. II is only beauty
that can reconcile me to mold and tar
nish and dustiness."
Some are beautiful and some are
grotesque,' he said. "But | perceive
by looking about your rooms that you
have fancy for the grotesque as wen
as the beautiful"
"one is the face, the other the OBJ
verse of the coin," said my friend.
'But pray show me your wares"
SO from his pack the old man with
the kind eyes and the cruel mouth
took many packages, wrapped and
tied with the cunning of the old races.
Il am a Merchant of Truth" he de.
clared proudly, and these are my
wares. If you permit me | will show
you the contents of this one, which
tells the truth about your home"
Oh sighed the woman eagerly, "if
| you please!"
!
wrappings, the old man took forth a
shining sphere of crystal, and held 1t
| before the woman so that she saw
thing which the old man described in
this wise:
Your home" he said "is a badly
built little house, standing in third.
! rate suburb of an ill-ordered city 1t
Is much too expensive for the amount
of comfort it gives, and even so, II is
! not really yours. 1t is mortgaged. and
! YOU must pay interest as well as taxes.
II is never as clean as it should be.
| by reason of the mills and factories
! near at hand. There is much incon.
gruity in the furnishing and decora.
| ton OF the rooms, and I'm winter some
of these rooms are chilly and damp.
In summer you have no garden to
which to retire. 1t is, you perceive. a
| poor place"
Oh caid the woman, how mis-.
taken you are! | see truly, the things
OF which you speak, but do you not
appreciate that here is the door at
which bid my friends welcome? And
|
the hearth. There is my bed where
sleep so deliciously, there the dear
window at which the dawn looks
in. Here is my kitchen where cook
the food by which we live. and here Is
the table at which we eat IT, with talk
and laughter, and even, when we are
so disposed, with song Everything i'm
this house belongs to me- NV hus.
band bought these things and gave
them to me-eNcept such as are the
gifts of friends, can walk about the
rooms and put my hands on this and
on that and tell YOU the most beautiful
stories imaginable about the friends
who gave me these things Ii Is curl.
! Gus, but ] know of no one who has
such friends as l. Really, this place.
which looks so poor as reflected i'm
that sphere and in your words, stands
to me for home-home- home," She
sighed with happiness,
The cruelty deepened about the old
mans mouth and the Kindness glowed
In his eyes,
You mean" he said, that this com.
mon place is IA Symbol OF Home In
this respect, perceive it is not Truth
which you desire, but the symbol II
is the possession of that which makes
| YOU content But come, perhaps |
have something more TO your liking.
Here, madam, is the portrait OF your
husband as he is And he undid an.
other wrapping and held up another
| sphere.
There she saw shadowed forth the
| figure of mana man small OF stat.
ure inefficient in his actions, petuant,
narrow, affectionate, fairly honest,
rather discouraged; a man with no
strong passions, no deep or original
thoughts, no brave sins, no capacity
for great sacrifices. Yet one going
faithfully his quiet way, returning al
ways 10 his home at night, and, in his
pallid fashion loving his wife, though