The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-20
From the Ohio State Journal.


 = ENTIMENT is peculiar. It is like @N a flea; you never know which
 way 1t is likely to jump. It af- fects different men in different ways. What will bring tears to the eyes of one win bring boasts to the lips of another And like as not the third man will want to fight. Wherefore this little story.
 Something about him, an indescrib- able air of distinction. impressed the of an uptown hotel last night He was past 60, white haired, but straight with a martial erectness and kindly featured. Time had left many lines in his face, but the chiseling had been done with a kindly hand.
 He bowed with an old fashioned grace to the young woman who found him a seat at a table in a far corner of the room. He gave his order with a deference which brought a quizzical smile to the face of another young woman who came to serve him. And when he had finished
  fellow opposite him was quite subdued. Gentility stood out upon him like knot on log.
 As the meal progressed the orchestra obliged. There was a rare sweetness in the music, which ran rather to old tunes, the favorites of long ago. Sevs era1s times he applauded, not excess sively, but still with animation. And then he would lapse into a sort of rev. erie, oblivious to all about him.
 It was in one of these periods they began My Old Kentucky Home.' h. stinctively he strengthened and his should CTS squared. The hand which had started to his mouth dropped back to the table He swallowed with a gulp as if 1t choked him and his eyes looked straight ahead His vis-a-vis might have been thin air for all he saw of him.
 Into the face crept flush of sub dued feeling and two big tears stole out of the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks. In his mind was a picture, a picture such as an artist could never paint, a picture of an old home nest ling among the trees, beneath sky of blue and who knows, probably a white stone peeping out of the cedars far across the valley.
 Presently the tune switched without warning into another of the south, "Dixie,'' with all of its vim, and life and action. The white head dropped sil- ently; an unconscious hand raised a nap kin and brushed away the tears, the unseeing eyes rested needless on the cloth And something of the old man s feelings swept over his fellows at the board. Suddenly the keeness of their appetites had gone.
 Across in far corner, nearer to the players, a ripple of applause broke into fusillade of hand >c1aps. To the old man and his companions 1t was as rel evant as an encore at funeral. The gray head raised in consternation, the dark eyes flashed fire for moment, then with a gentle resignation he drew him. self up and went on with his meal. Pres emily he arose and walked out, half blindly 1t seemed.
 | Across in the corner the enthusiasm was still rampant young fellow with a southern drawl was talking rather loudly of Georgia" Every number was ap- plauded gleefully. Where the remnants of the old mans dinner bore mute wit ness to his agitation trio looked at each | other with question in their eyes and | angry flushes on their cheeks.
 .1d like to take that fellow out in | ths alley and punch his head" said the | erstwhile bofsterous one, glaring at the | loouacious man from Georgia
 "If 1t caPe down to a question of real simon pure patriotism and personal sac- riflce, I wonder which of them would be the queckest to respond" said the fat