The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-18
SAYS UNCLE CIV

| One day, ten years ago, the Man Who
! Sees Things came and leaned over the
wood-lot fence. He was a queer chap
and had never known quite what to
make of him, except that he seemed TO
have more brains than most folks and to
get less for 'em.
pipe on the front stoop," says he, Il saw
an Appalling Thing
Yes" said I.
TT was an Appalling Thing" he re-
peated solemnly. 1T was the sum total
of my mistakes. omissions and lost oppor-
tunities, all rolled up into one walking,
sneering, gibbering, reproachful mass"
| 1 was beginning to think that I'd bet
ter call a doctor something, but he
went right without noticing that I was
getting uneasy on my feet.
Now, some men would have run away"
he said. land others would have rrIeu
to drown the memory of it in the jug o
door of well-regulated households; but I
didn't do either. The truth is I was
scared stiff. So when 1 got my voice back
from my Adams apple [ just invited the
thing to have a seat. 1t replied that it
had often dropped around my way, but
had never found me at home, and now
that it was here it was going to stay
awhile. 1t was a grisly. ogrish, mall
formed thing-the living picture of dis
luck. 1t camped right there my door
step as if it had come to stay for break
| fast.
'I've got crow to pick with you
says the thing. It's time you and L came
to Understandings
Yes, SIR says /.
Of vel w ell as you may know, I'm the devil
OF Durnd Hard Luck. On the whole 80
got little to complain of on YOUR acconn+
m your own peculiar property ana if
you were to say the word I'd have to van
tSl INTO thin air; but you've kent mo aIiIto
Tor some thirty odd years and pretty we1I
Ieu, 100 ABOUT the time 1 begin to think
and So 70 nustle Tor my supper you up
anu make another break and I get fat
asal1. live on the things you don't do
anu tne Things that you don't do right
anu l II admit that what I lack in shane
ana beauty l make up in size and fat
But you made me and 1 belong +o
you 4oure all I've got in this world
t alo tne thing I'm kicking about is that
Sou never give me thought. You keen
me fat, you ignore me- 1 never seen ~
pother you You drift along in your care
never existed. 90 -
" can't stand for that. Hereafter
I'm L m gong G2li to keep you company along
all up to you
He didn't look pretty sitting there. 7
was still scared stiff. had to look at him
a long time before 1 realized that T coi,Id
look through him and see the stars shin
ing on the other side. I took stock of him
get him. But pretty soon I got over NV
paralysis and began to get calmly desper-
ate l made up my mind to kill him and
bury him under a heap of Things Worth
While " Vi III
He was still 1oafng around at break
1aSt time this morning but he faded into
thln ar when l turned over a new leaf
ana began to get really busy. One CON
Versatlon with him was enough. I didn't
sleep last night. but learned something
while I was lying awake"
What was that?'' 1 asked.
I learned how Frankenstein felt when
he had built that monster" Yes that was
fen years ago. The Man Who Sees things
Is famous now. Better than that, he is
useful
How did you do it?" I asked when
we met the other day.
Il bumped myself he replied Every |
time felt like loafing the picture of that
dead and forgotten Appalling Thing would
come back to me- Then I'd grow desper- /
ate and desperately busy again. 1 owe /
everything that I am to a lively realfza-
ton of my past errors and lost oppor- !
tunities. and my inability to contemplate |
them with Indifference"
TIL emoral is that you can do anything
if you are desperate enough.-(Copyrigh |
1913 by the Mcclure Newspaper Syndi- |
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