The Cairo bulletin., 1908-03-09
Cartenbaum Finds
a Hard Problem
BY I. FREEDMAN

The younger boys in the night
school, WHO fell just short Of the
years when they might have taken
life seriously, paid no attention
whatsoever to him and the older
men, who We're entirely absorbed Ia
themselves and their work, were
scarcely aware of his existence. But
to all this neglect on the part of his
schoolfellowS Wilhelm Gartenbaum
paid little attention; IN fact, he was
scarcely aware of it; for he was so
taken up with his studies and his de-
sire to learn that he gave neither
thought nor heed to aught else.
Wilhelm Gartenbaum was a very
old mana very old man by compar-
ison at any rate, for he was easily
the Oldest man in the school and per-
haps the Oldest man who attended
any of the various night schools. He
took his honors quite philosophical
ly and without conceit, as he took all
else that befell him. saying merely
that some one had to be the Oldest
and the honor happened to have
come to him.
All but fourteen OF his seventy
five years had been given up to hard,
unremitting toil-toil to support his
parents; toll to support his own chill
dren toll from the day he had land
ed in America until old age made Ii
impossible for him to toll any longer.
There had always famed in his heart
the hope that some day he might find
time 10 study, to learn and edu-
cate himself. His heart was wither-
Ing and drying now, but the fame
burned there still with all the vigor
and fervor borrowed from youth,
even though It's light fell on hope
turned to ashes.
Somehow tonight his school tasks
did not go as well as usual and the
oldster felt disheartened and dis
cOuraged. His aged mind, forced to
fit into the lessons more proper to
youth, felt quite as uncomfortable as
the aged body that he was forcing to
fit into the small desk that a child
had occupied during the day. The
uselessness of effort, especially the
uselessness of effort at his age, de-
pressed him. as it will depress all of
US at times, even the youngest, the
most favored and the most gifted.
STILL Wilhelm Gartenbaum tugged
at his long white beard determined
ly. shook his head resolutely, set all
his doubts and perplexities to ono
side and struggled with the difficult
problem in fractions again. Slowly.
carefully. cautiously the old man
worked his way along, much as a
stranger feels his way from place to
place,'1n a house that is dark.
He was quite sure now--so GER
tain was he of each preceding step
that he had solved the problem
correctly. The tense expression that
had puckered up his careworn face
left 1t and gave way to smile of
satisfaction.
His heart beat quicker, happier,
and the phrase. 1T is never too late
TO learn" took on a new and bigger
meaning to his more optimistic
frame of mind. But all his joy gave
way to sorrow. and a sort of despair
seized him when he attempted to
prove his answer-the teacher had
taught him the method the night be-
fore-and found it altogether wrong.
For a while Wilhelm Garteubaum
sat rigid, his chin on his hand; one
might have thought him a bust
al Of ct CT Il IN
sit: then his elbow moved, much as
a piece of marble might drop, and
accidentally he pushed his arithmetic
off the desk He stopped to pick 1t
up, gathering as he did so few
loose pages OF foolscap that had been
book and dropped out of 1t. For 1t
was used by the pupil, whoever he
was. that occupied the desk during
The day, and, therefore, that it be-
hooved its occupant by night to be
careful Of both book and contents.
He was putting the sheets of paper
back whence they came and he was
absently staring at the numbers
written on one of them when gradu-
ally they made an active claim on his
attention.
Then Wilhelm Gartenbaum no.
tced with a shock of surprise that
here. correctly solved and proved.
was the problem that he had tried
and failed to work out. And he was
following tie successful arithmetl-
clans figures in q breathless sort OF
excitement when HIS eye fell on the
name, Fritz Gartenbaum. written
in the upper left-hand corner OF the
sheet of foolscap.
For a while old man Gartenbaum
lapsed into his statuesque repose, !
then his face wrinkled and puckered
and tear after tear coursed stealthiIy
along HIS check and down his white
beard
Fritz Gartenbaum was Wilhelm
Gartenbaum's grandson.