The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-28
THE MAN WHO
FINALLY LAUGHED,
81 N. ouAp.

h~-N--r"A
peared on bis phiz there was sol
emn shaking OF heads No woman
pround there had ever before seen an
Infant Of that age that had not smiled
and crowed and showed how much he
enjoyed being the ~itv OF the house
Three doctors got together over that
baby, and after an hours consultation
n was decided that be was born for a
sexton and no one was to blame for
n.
BABY Scott grew 20 be a chiid-not
= smile He grew 10 be kid--not a
wrin. He grew to be called a youth.
but never for an instant had he re
yhxed that sober, serious expression.
Vie hadn't when be reached bis major
ny. lie hadn't when he married, two
years later. He hadn't when he went
into the dry goods business. Mr..
Hcotts case was written up az q novel
Dne, and he came 70 be tho landmark
Df the village. He proved that ono
oould be a good fellow and stlll not
@mile.
The doctors got new theory about
u every so often, but II did no good
uhesr most popular theory was that
Bomething would arouse the man 10
Faughter some day and that when the
Mime came be would do something sur
prising, If not desperate. This could
have been only guesswork at best, bat
@t turned cut hit Mr. Scott had
sseached shs age Of forty years without
having cracked a smile when his wife
mnd children went of on a visit for
week. leaving him alone m the house.
pDn the third night Of their absence be
pTas aroused from hts slumbers to find
y man standing over him with pistol
Ind cwo more 10 the room. They were
Hhere 30 clean out his pockets and Sc
cure the keys OF the store and safe.
Hihey were strangers Ia that part Of
khe state and had never heard Of bis
tniIFnuity, 81 some folks called his lack
pf humor. MIR. Scott had a few dollars
On bis pocket, but had hidden the keys.
BE was threatened IN vain. As the
kascals had the h0use to themselves,
khey deternained 10 try something
stronger than gestures and words.
brhey put lighted matches between hts
Fingers, but they didn't get tie keys.
Then they went for his feet-not to
burn them, but to tickle him. They
aick1ed with Their fingers ana with a
coarse comb and with a hens feather
taken from an old hat belonging to
Mrs. Scott.
The sensation was a new one to Mr..
Scott. He almost Immediately recog-
hized that It waa Where were no
bunny stories, no grans or laughter.
but after Eve minutes Mr.. Scott smiled
for the first time 10 his life. Two min
mites later be was grinning. In two
minutes more be was laughing just rs
natural and heartily as any man ia the
state When be had chuclSled and CUR
gled and laughed and surprised the
robbers not Iitfie he Suddenly broke
put with:
why didn't some one think Of this
beforel By George, but it's fine! Ha,
ha. ha! One Of you tickle the other
foot az the same timer
"Hang yen. well tickle you with q
knife in the ribs II you don't give up
the keysF growied the leader.
Say, don't get mad about It. Ha,
ma. bal You are good fellows, and I'm
n good fellow. You make me ha, he,
ha, and / ike you. say, now. you
wouldn't End over IS In the store safe
If you got III. and can put you on 70
better thing"
mo fooling, now. or wen make a
dead man Of you'll What is the better
khingY'
"Irs-ha, ha, hai-it's that Deacon
Glover has got a thousand dollars IN
his house to take over to the bank at
Elyria tomorrow It's-ha, ha, hal
right under his pillow, and I'm 60 with
you to get #"
The robbers consulted and decided
that they had got hold Of an idiot or
sunatic, but at the same time there
might be something la the story Of the
thousand dollars They tickled as
hard as they could for i've minutes.
and then, giving him minute to re-
cover from his commissions Of merri-
ment. they ordered him to dress and
follow them. This he did, his face
wearing the broadcast kind OF grin.
lie took them straight to the house,
showed them how they could effect en-,
trance by climbing shed, and one Of
then. went in and got the cash without
disturbing the sleeping deacon.
He didn't try to follow them. He
went home and sat down on the door
steps and laughed the rest OF the night
away. He laughed at those who first
found him, and he laughed at the
deacon for being robbed, and the doc
tors came and said that nothing could
be done. Mr.. Scott made up the thou
sand dollars to the victim and then
continued to chuckle and giggle and
rurcle and ha, he, hal He laughed
at everything A remark about the
weather brought loud peal, and the
sight Of funeral procession started a
xurgle. No; he hadn't lost hts mind.
After forty long years his sense Of hui
NOR had lust worked to the surface,
and be was making up for lost time.
He lived for ten years after that, and
when on bis dying bed he said to q
caller:
Il hate to go. you know. because this /
Is a good old world-ha. ha, hal Eel /
Ter sees something every day to laugh /
at. Just thought Of how you and Tom
and the others would look marching |
in my funeral procession, and-ha, ha,