The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-09-24
A Story Of Dreams and Deeds
THE AWAKENING OF HENRYs ToWN-A TALE WITHIN TALE
MAGAZINE
BY RUFUS WASHINGTON WEAVER
IN SOUTHERN woMAN's MAGAZINE

By some chance the little table al
which | sat had escaped the eye OF
incomers, and two vacant chairs at il
extended their arms with venal hospi-
tality to the influx of patrons. And
then cosmopolite sat in one of them
and was glad, for | held theory
that since Adam no true citizen of the
world had existed. We hear OF
them, and we see foreign labels on
much luggage, but we find travellers
instead of cosmopolites."
Thus the story begins. l take it
up later. "tBut while you are wan
dering in foreign lands I persisted
did not your thoughts revert to some
spot-some dear and
"'Nary a spot interrupted E. R.
Coglan, fippantly. The terrestrial
gobular, planetary hunk of matter
slightly fattened at the poles, and
known as the earth, is my abode. I've
met a good many object-bound citi-
zens of this country abroad. I've seen
men from Chicago sit in a gondola in
Venice on a moonlight night and brag
about their drainage canal. I've seen
Southerner, on being introduced to
the King of England, hand that mon-
arch, without batting his eyes, the in
formation that his grand-aunt on his
mothers side was related by marri.g ge
to the Perkinses, of Charleston. !
knew a New Yorker who was kidnap-
ped for ransom by some Afghanistan
bandits. His people sent over the
,,l Ln hoo ~ 10 Enh nh,tl
with the agent. "Aghanistan ?" the
natives said to him through an inter-
prefer. "'Well, not so slow, do you
think?'" "Oh, l don't know
says he, and he begins to tell them
about a cab driver at Sixth Avenue
and Broadway. Those ideas don't
suit me. I'm not tied down to any
thing that isn't 5000 miles in diane
ter. Just put me down as f. Rush
more Coglan, citizen of the terrestrial
sphere
"My cosmopolite made large adieu
and left me, for he thought he saw
some one through the chatter and
smoke whom he knew.
my meditations were interrupted
by tremendous noise and conflict in
another part of the cafe. | saw above
the heads of the seated patrons f
Rushmore Coglan and stranger tC
me engaged in terrific battle. They
fought between the tables like Tt,
tans. and glasses crashed and mer
caught their hats up and were knock
ed down, and brunette screamed, and
blonde began to sing Teasing
"My cosmopolite was sustaining the
pride and reputation of the earth
when the walters closed in on both
combatants with their famous flying
wedge formation and bore them out
side, still resisting.
81 called Mccarthy, one of the
French garcons, and asked him the
cause of the conflict.
"'The man with the red tie (that
was my cosmopolite), said he, got on
account of some things said about the
,bum sidewalks and water supply of
the place he came from by the other
guy
"'Why," said I. bewildered, that
man is a citizen of the world-a cos
mopolte. He
Originally from MattaWamkeag
Maine, he said,' continued Mccarthy
'and he wouldn't stand for no knock
in the place"
Yes, sir, wherever they walk, "by
roaring streets unknown" they re-
member their native town, most
faithful-foolish-fond, making her
mere breathed name their bond upon
their bond"
0. Henry, had you followed you"
hearts dictation, you would not have
written "Mattawamkeag, Maine" but
Cne more commonplace but infinitely