The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-03-25
AN OLD
CURMUDGEON
lie Was Alone IN q Strange
Land.
BY r. A. mitchell

named MARYLAND. 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 or. Arriving at a hotel, en-
tered my name and residence In the
register. and the landlord. noticing the
U. 8. A., said to me:
u see that you are from America
There is fellow countryman Of yours
here who Is ILL., He has just asked me
If any American is In the hotel, and II
so be begged me to ask him to come
to his ROOM"
Realizing what II IL to be sick aud
alone In a foreign country, went at
once to the mans room 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 l fancied that his speech was
mot really grufr.
'Oh, you're here, are your he growi.
ed Zine lot OF countrymen I have to
leave me TO die In a foreign land /
suppose you're not quite 30 hard heart
ed an the rest o. you wouldn't have
come"
Some persons at this reception from
n stranger would have turned and
walked away. l am of different kind
TO fiatter me is repulsive to mo. Grum-
lbiing frankness Affects me favorably
4 replied with equal brusqueness:
"Well, II you want anything out Of
me say 10 right away"
He looked at me for Q moment, then
said:
ADo you speak French or Germanr
i II can talk In French"
"well. get me doctor and act an In.
ferpreter."
brought the doctor ara stood by the
old mans bedside translating his symp-
toms and, when the doctor went away.
procured the medicine prescribed. Mr..
MARYLAND ordered me about as n !
were his paid servant II didn't trou.
BILE me. ! was rather amused But
occasionally I would turn upon him
and tell him that II he didn't shut up
/ would have him carried away to a
hospital. This was the only thing that
Impressed him.
For week permitted myself to be
'victimized In this fashion; then one
day ! told him that was about to
leave him.
"oh. l suppose you must be paid to
stay" he said. "How much do You
wantr
laughed.
"NonsenseP' replied. do you think
could be hired to wait on such a
curmudgeon as you? But 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.. MARYLAND. When he felt bet
ter than usual he would talk to me,
and 30 intelligently that I was delight
ed was a young man with young
ideas. and his experience. his evident
ability to pick the meat out OF CUES
lions. his knowledge OF human nature
fascinated me. After getting this In
sight into his makeup was better sat.
isfled to devote myself to him. Be
coming curious as TO who and what be
was, ! one day asked him about him
self.
Have you familyT"
Family? Yes-a devil Of q family
too"
"You mean you are the devil and
they are the family"
''If you know more about my affairs
than ! do why do you ask me about
'emY'
'True. Well. 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
] wouldn't have 'em II they would"
that's the case In a nutshell"
'I've got a daughter that | would
and could have with me IL were mean
enough to impose such a burden upon
her
"I'm pleased to find one redeeming
trait In you" replied. Judging from
what ! have learned. you would make
1t hot for her"
Ia make II nor Tor any one. Just as
any one would make 1t hot for me
Young man. do you know that this
is a world full of pure selfishnessI
We are of the brute creation-brutal
All the soft things we say to che an
other are pure palaver The French
are the only people in the world that
] respect They are so confounded pc
lite that they know they're stuffine
one another and don't attempt to con
ceal it. We Americans don't give SC
much taffy. because we know surfeii
won't go down
This spending my time over an olc
grumbler. who was evidently at enmi
ty with the whole human race was
ridiculous. One day I told him would
not trouble myself any longer; | was
about to go on down into Italy
Well why don't you goY ns