West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-07-15
A COSMOPOLHE
IN A CAFE,
An Incident That Proves All Men
Have Patriotism.
BY o. HENRY.


icopyrisht. 1906 by Mcclure. Phillips q
Col
At midnight the cafe was crowded.
BY some chance the little table ut
which sat had escaped the eye OF In
comers. and two vacant chairs at II
extended their arms with venai hos
pifaiity to the influx OF patrons.
And then cosmopofite sat I'm one OF
them. and I was glad. for held n
theory that since Adam no true citizen
Of the world has existed. We hear OF
them. and we see foreign labels ON
much luggage. but we Ind travellers
instead Of cosmopolites.
l Invoke your consideration OF the
seene--the marble topped tables. the
range OF leather upholstered wall
seats. the gay company. the ladies
dressed In demi-state toilets. speaking
In an exquisite visible chorus OF taste.
economy. opulence. or art; the sedulous
and iargess loving garcons. the music
wisely catering TO all with its raids
upon the composers; the melange of
talk and laughter-and, IL you viii,
the Wurzburger I'm the tall glass
cones that bend TO your lips as a ripe
cherry sways on its branch to the
beak or robber jay. l was told by a
sculptor from Mauch Chunk that the
Scene was truly Partisan.
My cosmopolite was named Il. Rush.
more Coglan, and he viii be heard
from next summer at Coney Island.
He r. to establish a new attraction
there. he informed me, Offering kineiy
diversion. And then his conversation
rang along parallels OF latitude and
longitude He took the great round
world In his hand. SO TO speak. aamii-
iariy. contemptuously, and Il seemed
no larger than the seed OF maraschl-
no cherry In a table d'hote grapefruit
He spoke disrespectfuliy OF the equa-
tor, he skipped from continent TO con-
tinent. he derided tho zones, he mop
ped up the high sens with his napkin.
With a wave OF hIs hand he would
speak OF certain bazaar I'm Haidara-
bad Whiffi He would have you on
skees in Lapiand Zip. Now you rode
the breakers with the Kanakas nt Kea.
laikahiki. Presto, He dragged you
through an Arkansas post oak swamp.
let you dry for moment on the alkali
plains OF bis Idaho ranch. then whirl-
ed you into the society OF viennese
arcbdnkes. Anon he would be telling
you Of cold he acquired I'm n Chica 90
lake breeze and how old EscamiIa
cured II In Buenos Aires with n hot
Infusion Of the chuchula weed. You
would have addressed n letter to "E.
kushmore Coglan. ESQ. the Earth,
Solar System. the Universe" and have
mailed IL. feeling confident that II
would be delivered to him.
] was sure that had found Mt last
the one true cosmopolite since Adam.
and listened to his worldwide dis
course fearful lest I should discover in
II the local note OF the mere globe
trotter. But his opinions never fiut-
tered or dropped lie was as impartial
to cities. countries aud continents ms
the winds or gravitatIon.
And as f. Rushmore Coglan prattled
OF this little planet thought with
giee OF great almost cosmopolIte who
wrote for the whole world and dedl-
Gated himself to Bombay. In a poem
he has to say that there are pride and
rivalry between the cities OF the
earth and that "the men that breed
from them, they traffic up and down,
but cling to their cities hem as child
10 the mothers gown" And when
ever they walk "by roaring streets un-
known they remember their native
city. most faithful, foolish. fond. maxi
Ing her mere breathed name their
bond upon their bond" And my gIee