Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03
The Man Who Smiles
Continued from page ;

an intimate friend that not long ago the friend
said to him:
1t can't be possible that you go through
the records of all the convicts in these prisons
in order to hit upon the most meritorious cases.
That would be too huge task for any one man.
How, then, do you have such luck in getting
hold of the right ones?"
Il look them over, and then l pick out the
man with the SMILE" was the philanthropists
prompt reply. Il never look at a record |
never even seek to inquire if such and such a
convict claims to be innocent. Records IN such
cases prove nothing do the mans claims.
l inspect, and sometimes talk with hundreds
and even thousands of the convicts. l always
in his adversely flickers smile. There are
not many such, and SO my task is not so diff
cult as you might suppose"
But" argued the philanthropists friend,
doesn't the smile indicate more than any
thing else. that the convict wearing it is cal
loused, hardened, and therefore no fit subject
for benevolenCe2"
at never has worked out that way" replied
the philanthropist. "All of my smiers have
stuck to the path, and many of them are hon
begin to doubt whether there is any such thing
as a hardened smile. Hardened men, in my
opinion, don't smile. Dauntless men do"
A Merry Revolutionists Salvation
A T La Libertad, in Salvador, back in the
early COS, saw the flag end of one of those
comic opera Central American revolutions"
1t wasn't anything like comic opera, however.
for the gangs of ragged. barefooted starved
looking insurgents, who, the outbreak having
been quelled. were lined up at dawn one morn
ing before wall to be shot to death by firing
parties of Government troops. Most of them,
before being blindfolded and having their
wrists tied behind them, wrung their hands
agonizedly and prayed volubly to the saints
and to the Mother of Mercies. Their tears
soaked the ground, their lamentations
dreadful to listen to.
One of them, however, neither wept nor
lamented. He was a mere STRIPPING, with a
vague wisp of black mustache and pair of
burning, hollow eyes, There pallor upon
his smooth olive skin: but it the pallor of
hardships endured, not the chalkiness of fear
Not that certainly. for, as they began to blind
fold him, his lips parted, showing clear line of
perfect teeth, and then there stole over his face
as winning, illuminated, and thoroughly meant
smile as ever appeared on human countenance.
1t wasn't of those imitation smiles of a
Latin-American vaquero who tries to enact the
brave boy after being caught up with for rus
ting. 1t was, on the contrary. the perfectly
normal, wholesome smile of very young man
with obvious risbilities who, feeling that he
had smile coming. just smiled.
The Minister of War, who was superintend-
ing the dismal proceedings, noticed the lads
back the soldiers who were blindfolding him.
And why do you smile. SOM" the Minister
of War asked the young man in Spanish. in the
tone of one asking to unravel problem.
For lack senior, of something better to do.
suppose. You see how limited my oPpor-
tunities are to do anything else just now,' re-
piled the lad, the appealing smile never leaving
his face.
With one more opportunity. then, you
would behave?" inquired the Minister of War,
still bit puzzled. apparently.
AT least l might try. senior" replied the
STRIPPING, too brave to commit himself too far.
Fall out. then and go to your home and
try" said the Minister of War, and the soldiers
united the wrists of the lad whose smile had
won him back his forfeited life Presently the
others were shot.
The Fire Couldn't PAGE Him
ON the day. few years ago. when the whole
~ business section OF Baltimore was de-
stroyed by one of the great conflagratiors Of
history, | watched the tremendous picture
from the deck of one of the overwhelmed city's
fire fighting tugs. A squat. grizzled man.
gnawing the nearly consumed butt of cigar
that he'd forgotten to light stood near me
following the futile streams from the tug with
a quizzical expression. After he had stood
close to me for quite awhile felt impelled. for
civilitys sake. to say something to him, even
If IF was hrOmidOrn-aS If proved tn be