Middletown transcript., 1909-08-07
~T @ M
BY W. r. ROSE

stranger. Then he looked az ene
letter in his hand.
Friend Of Edgertbn's ehH
YES. said the stranger.
The old man looked at the let'
ter.
Thomas Harper, eh'
That's the name.
Any friend of Jim Edgerton :
is welcome, said the old man.
Do you know Jim?
Quite well.
He's a good boy. ] started
Jim in business.
So he told me.
Did her I'm glad he remem.
bered. They don't usually, !
suppose I've started twenty boys
in business. Precious few OF
them remembered it. Jim told
you, ehH
X He had a queer way Of saying
I'eh?" And he had a queer way
of putting his gray head . little
on one side when he said it.
Yes, he told me.
Good. Most of those boys go1
all they could .outof me and wher
they began to be q little usefu
they left. There's very LITTLE
gratitude left in the world, Mr.
Harper.
And he stared at the letter.
The stranger looked from tn
old man to the dingy walls ant
the dingy furnishings OF the OH
Office.
How is business9 he asked.
There isn't any, replied the oil
man. Not for me. I'm too OIL
fashioned to keep up with tn
procession. Perhaps In to
honest. Anyway, I'm prett
close to the end of the string.
He scowled as he spoke an
shook his gray head to give en-
phasis to his words.
Are you alone here? the strar
ger asked.
/ have a young man in th
outer Office, the old man replie'
It's pretty nearly time for him
serve notice on me. | don't b
liege it will be worth while II
me to hire anybody else. Ho
long do you stay in the citys
A day or two.
I'm glad you came in, said u
old man. It does me good
think Jim hasn't forgotten I'll
old days. Sorry can't ente
tain you in some way. | haven
any home to take you to, and
don't know anything about IL
the threaters.
The stranger laughed. F
was well built man Of perhal
forty, well dressed, q well keI
man.
That's all right, he said. ! can
here 10 see Jim's old frien
You're one of the Oldest me
chants in the city, Jim tcld N
You must have some very inte
esting "reminiscences to tell.
The old man shook his head.
NotesGg Of the sort, he q
swered. Nothing but hard wor
and disappointments, and kna
ing, and ingratitude.
That's a sorry list, said q
stranger.
It's a sorry life, said the o
man. Except for favored fe'
Yes, I might be rich man to-d'
if Ihadn't been weak and SC
hearted. That doesn't pay VIII
you're in trade, Mr.. Harpt
You're got to be hard, hard!
His voice rose as he utter
the word, he smote the old de
harshly with his clenched hand
The stranger looked at b
and slowly nodded.
Your experience evidently b
not been pleasant, he said.
Pheasant, echoed the old ms
Look at me. Sixty-seven yes
old, forty years in business
absolutely nothing to show for
I'm a horrible example of
wrong way of doing things.
laughed unpleasantly. I W
boxing through a bundle of moi
the other day-little sums q
some that are fairly big. Th
represented loans have foolisl
made. Do you know that I
total of those amounts VOL
comfortably provide for me il
lived to be a hundred! Ia
about gratitude! He scow
darkly IS he nervously fold
the letter. But when he lool
up the scowl faded. This ism
pleasant way to treat you, \
Harper. But it's my way.
the crouch Of the street.
hobby IL ingratitude. and / |,