The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-07
HIS FRIENDS
He Entertained Them but Once
BY DANIEL X. Won TRoMP
Copyright, 1910 by American Press
Association,


stop overnight in the town. Upon my
telling him that such was my inten.
ton he said to me:
II sometimes receive guests in my
house and If YOU like will entertain
you
Not rellshing stay In the average
country hotel, | concluded to go with
the man. He led me to the handsom-
est house In the place 1t had no ap
pearance of being hotel. Indeed
there was nothing public about It, |
was shown to bedroom containing
every comfort and convenience. | ar
rived near the dinner hour and when
went down into the dining room
found there only mine host and his
family about u table at which there
was but one vacant seat. My host In
troduced me 10 his wife and daughters
and motioned me TO the vacant chair
Never was l more puzzled. ! had
been solicited. supposed, by either a
hotel runner or a landlord, yet | seem.
ed to be In n private house. The con-
versation was general and was enliy-
ened by bottle Of wine. This EN-
barrassed me, for landlords are not
used TO furnishing wine unless duly
ordered to be paid for. | had ordered
no wine and did not know whether
would be permitted TO return the
hosts ciyility by doing so. After din
ner | spent very pleasant evening
with him and@&is family and at bed
time retired to my room.
] was given my breakfast the next
morning alone. and. as nothing was
said about remaining longer after ]
had eaten. ! took up my satchel for
departure. Each one of the family
cordially babe me goodby. not one OF
them expressing desire to see me
again. though the eldest daughters
eyes sank TO the floor at pressure OF
the hand | gave her. / could not
bring myself to call for bill. con
tented myself with expressing my
thanks.
Going straight TO the Office Of man
with whom l had business. i informed
him of my adventure and asked If he
could give me an explanation. lie
smiled and said:
"Have you read in the Arabian
/ Nights Entertainment the story OF
the man who, disguised with the self
I ishness of humanity. every evening
1 invited stranger to sup and remain
the night with him and turned him
away in the morning.
II have"
"You have been entertained by SUCH
a man"
"And / will not be admitted under
his roof again?"
/ mo"
1--WE shall see about that. But tell
me the story"
Evan Thompson inherited the
/ wealth of his father and grandfather
Evan was always very tender hearted
/ AS soon as he came into his property
he began to give It to any one who
needed IT, He never wasted a>penny
IL u
whomsoever 1t was given. To con-
dense the story. he gave away his
/ whole patrimony. including the house
/ In which he now lives Not being sat
isfed to remain poor man among
those who had been his associates In
4 prosperity, he went away and was not
1 seen again here for ten years. Then
he appeared one day ragged and for
/ lorn looking. There was scarcely a
| person In the town who had not at
! some time been assisted by hfTn He
/ applied to one after another for help.
/ What assistance was given him was
so trifilng that 1t served him but for
a brief period Some of those he had
helped to prosperity made him small
| loans, realizing that until they were
paid be would not trouble them again.
Some paid no attention whatever to
/ his solicitations And so. after he had
| asked for help from everybody and
all had either refused him or put him
/ where he could not well ask for more,
| he discovered that his former friends
when they saw him coming would
turn down cross street before meet
| ing him. Indeed. everybody wished
he would go away again and stay
away.
"He disappeared one morning, his alb
sence being made manifest by his fail
ing to call on man who had promised
to lend him quarter. The man told
| others of the circumstance, and 1t soon
| got abroad that 'Seedy' Thompson, as
he was called, had relieved the town
/ of his presence. Then one day some
thing happened. The owner OF the
Thompson homestead announced that
he had sold 1t fer twice what he gave
for 1t. The next STARTER was the reg
/ istry of the deed to the premises IN
/ the name of Evan Thompson. Lastly,
one morning maiden lady passed the
4 Thompson house and reported that she
had seen 'Seedy Thompson himself
sitting on the porch putting cigar.
4 The end Of It all was that Thompson
/ was there with wife and children.
Thompson has told me that he new
err read the story in The Arabian
Nights Entertainment He seems to
have hit upon the same method of pro-
eedure by coincidence. He will invite
n stranger to stay at his house for one
night but will never receive the same
person twice"
70 ,,.,s my crood fortune 70 break his