The Press., 1915-07-07
AN OLD CURMUDGEON He Was Alone In a Strange
 Land.
By F. A. r1IrcHEL

met in Lucerne an old fellow named Markland, and he proved to me
 the Old Man of the Sea, who, having once got himself seated on the shoul- der of Sindbad the Sailor. could not be shaken off. Arriving at a hotel, en-
 tered my name and residence in the register, and the landlord, noticing the ! U. S. A., said to me:
 There is a fellow countryman of yours
 here who Is Ill. He has just asked me
 If any American is in the hotel. and if
 so he begged me to ask him to come | to his room."
 | Realizing what 1t is to be sick and
 alone in foreign country, went at
 once to the mans room. I found an
 old man in bed. His name was Mark.
 land-so found out later-and he hail.
 ed from Chicago. He appeared to be | Ill, but fancied that his speech was not feally gruff.
 "Oh, you're here, are you?' he growl- ed. Fine lot of countrymen I have to leave me to die in foreign land. suppose you're not quite so hard heart come"
 Some persons at this reception from stranger would have turned and walked away. am of different kind. To fiatter me is repulsive to me. Grum- bling frankness affects me favorably. replied with equal brusqueness:
 "Wef, if you want anything out of me say so right away"
 He looked at me for a moment, fhen said:
 Do you speak French or GermanT
 .T can talk in French"
 @weI, get me doctor and act as in terpreter."
 I brought the doctor and stood by the old mans bedside translating his symp- toms and. when the doctor went away. procured the medicine prescribed. Mir. MGrkland ordered me about as if l were his paid servant. 1t didn't trou- ble me. I was rather amused. But occasionally I would turn upon him and tell him that If he didn't shut up would have him carried away to a hospital This was the only thing that him.
 For a week permitted myself to be victimtzed in this fashion; then one day told him that was about to leave him.
 ''Oh, suppose you must be paid to stay,s he said. "How much do you wantr'
 I laughed.
 +Nonsenser' replied. Do you think could be hired to wait on such curmudgeon as you? But I won't leave you-at least, not just now. haven't seen all the sights of this place yet. I'll drop in on you occasionally during the coming week"
 did some sightseeing, but the prin- cipal part of my time was taken up with Mr. Markland. When he felt bet ter than usual he would talk to me. and so intelligently that I was delight ed. I was a young man with young ideas, and his experience. his evident ability to pick the meat out of ques- tons, his knowledge of human nature. me. After getting this in- sight into his makeup I was better sat isf1ed to devote myself to him. Be coming curious as to who and what he was, I one day asked him about him self.
 Have you family?"
 "Family7 Yes-a devil of a family too'
 You mean you are the devil and they are the family"
 "If you know more about my affairs than I do why do you ask me about emp
 True. We'll, tell me about your fam Fly. Why aren't they here taking care of your?
 Because in the first place they wouldn't come, and in the second place l wouldn't have lem if they would'
 That's the case in a nutshell"
 i've got a daughter that I would and could have with me if I were mean enough to impose such burden upon her,
 "I'm pleased to find one redeeming trait in you" replied. Judging from what I have learned, you would make 1t hot for her."
 ''I'd make 1t hot for any one, just as any one would make it hot for me. Young man, do you know that this is world full of pure selfishness: We are of the brute creation-brutal All the soft things we say to one an other are pure palaver. The French are the only people in the world that respect. They are so confounded DO. lite that they know they're stuff1ne one another and don't attempt to con, ceal it. We Americans don't give sc much taffy, because we know surfeit won't go down."
 This spending my time over an old grumbler, who was evidently at enrffi- ty with the whole human race, was hdiculons- ons day told him would not trouble myself any longer; I was about to go on down into Italy.
 ''Well. why don't you go?' he growled.
 I looked into his eye as he lay there on his bed, suffering and alone, and saw that his heart belied his words I hadn't the will to desert him.
 He grew worse after this, and ons day he said to me:
 Get me lawyer. I want to make a will"
 "Oh. you're not going to die" re- piled. with a view to cheer him.
 "I reckon 1 know more about that than you do. Get me one of those things they call a notary in this coun- try. But before you go bring me pen and paper"
 l brought the articles, then went for B notary. When we reached the sick man he had written his will All he wanted of any one else was to help execute the instrument
 You'd better put in thousand dol lars for me-" l said, .'as some recon pense for what I've endured from you"
 l