The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-06

wants to be alone for awhile. He
wants TO hug and squeeze and tunk
dat fruit. He wants to wonder wed.
der II came from Alabamy or Gawgia
ana II de culld folks down dar was
sorry or glad to see 1t go. He wants
to feel dat ii am all his--dat be am
sole proprietor and 1t hain't got legs
nor wings to git away from him.
A Selfish Man.
"A selfish man. an avaricious man,
a bad niger. would no sooner find his
self alone wild dat watermillyon dan
lie would bust ii open and begin TO de-
your It. He would try aud hog it all
down befo' anybody came along. What
does your man do? He spends half an
hour studyin into how and whar dat
millyon growed aud gibin' thanks to
natur' dat It hain't an ole pumpkin,
and den he softly aud quietly pulls
jackknife from his pocket and opens
de blade. He don't cut and thrust and
| jab He gibs dat fruit fair show
| 1t am five minutes befo' de blade goes
In. He don't cut de millyon in half
| and lift one of de halves to his mouth
| and eat like n starved hawg. No. sahl
He makes from 70 to eight pieces. and
he eats slowly and remembers his dig
| nifty
"Dar am times when de coolest Of
men must sigh wild contentment and
| let out few 'yums' in devourln'
watermillyon, but dat am not to be
| laid up agin 'em. De bad man don't
sign nor yum He simply hawgs. He
has de whole thing devoured in ten
| minutes and am wonderin' whar he
kin steal a second De gooder dc man
| de longer he will daily | have seen
It take man long hour to git away
wild n millyon. and have found dat
man to be upright in all things.
| Does dc man you am watchin' de-
your half his millyon and den start for
home wild de odder half in newspa-
| per? Not If he am good man. He has
| wife and six kids at home, and he
realizes dat none of 'em could git mo-
dan a taste and dat taste might pro-
yoke bloodshed. Raider dan have a
row in his family he will eat de odder
half. He does eat it--dat is, he eats all
de core and den thoughtfully packs up
all de rinds and takes 'em home. His
chillln can't 'spect no great shakes
from de rlnds, and so dar am no eX-
cuse for quarrelln.
Some of you may be prepared TO AK
| me II n good man ever steals n water
millyon. am prepared to answer dat
he does. He don't do it for de sake of
stealin', same as de bad man does. but
for de sake of de millyon. He feels dat
somehow he and de millyon belong to-
gedder; dat dey come on alrth about de
same time; dat de mission of each was
to make de odder happy. know of po-
licemen and judges dat argy right de
odder way and try to convince Guild
men dat dey are mistaken, but dey
have not succeeded yet, and | doubt II
dey eber will. De act of stealin' a wa
termillyon gibs you line on mans
character. De man who grabs one up
as II it was stone and walks off wild
It and knocks it in the head as he
turns de first corner has no mo- sentl.
ment dan an OK. De man who lifts up
dat millyon wild gentleness and respect,
who pats It as he walks away, who
takes off his hat TO It and begs its
pardon before cuttin' 1t In a scientific
manner, dat man am good citizen
and has de best interests Of humanity
at heart. You nebber hear of sich n
man pizenln' his wife or chopin up
his chillis
Il may be aycd II It is sign Of bad.
| L., h. Il hNs ts
self and devours a watermillyon while
half dozen of his frens am lookin'
on. 1t am not. On de contrary, 1t am
a moral object lesson for dose odders
to have ambishun. No hustle. no mill
yon; de mo- hustle, de mo- millyon. 1t
acts de same way IL man takes a
millyon home and sots down at the
kitchen table and eats it and offers
none TO his wife. She am spurred up
TO find out har milyons grow and
how dey can best be come at She
does find out. and from dat time till dc
last of de millyon sezun de family am
literally supplied wild de choicest and
best at the lowest cost.
As to His Character.
III you am takln StrOll at night 10
do some thinkin' and you meet up wild
a black man totin a watermillyon, de
very way he totes it put you on TO his
character az man. IL he has 1t un'
der his arm he's deceptive man; If he
am luggin' it on his stomach he's a
reckless man; If he has it in bag he's
secretive and cowardly. De only one
honest way 10 tote millyon am on de
shoulder. Heave 1t right up dar as
soon as you have pulled it from de vine
and got yo'self ober de fence, and
keep it dar till you git home You am
carryin' a watermillyon and you amt
afeared to let all de world know 1t. OF
co'se If you see a policeman on de
co'ner you nacheralIy cross de road to
sabe him akin questions, and of co'se
when you git home and de old wo
man begins to ak questions you am toe
tired to answer.
"Find me a culPd man who kin tel
month befo' dey am ripe whar dc
biggest watermillyons am gwine to be
| on tan and | will size him uD AS an