Evening star., 1917-10-07
AROUND The CITY.

He was q childish old pauper named
Joseph. And his only treasure was a
glass stopper which he believed to be
a diamond, and which he wore on a
chain Of curtain links underneath his
coat.
At first, when doubts were cast on
the value Of his Jewel, Il made Joseph
fercely angry. because there were
times when he was not sure himself
So he consulted a jeweler, and after
that he was entirely satisfied. For the
jeweler, in good-natured recognition
Of brain astray. assured Joseph that
his diamond was worth kings ran
som. and that he must never try to
sell 1t until a king should come along
And as 1t made the old man happy and
harmed no one, it isn't likely that the
Great Recorder troubled to enter or
that jewelers. time list lie as white as
his own shining wings-only that
isn't in the story
A shriveled leaf may blow where It
listeth, but a pauper must be kept of
the streets, SO Joseph was taken in at
a home for his kind. and as he hasten
ed to confide his intention to make
everybody rich and happy no one In
| that place of long memories laid sc
much as a feathers weight Of ridicule
on his faith.
And 1t made Joseph SO restless that one
day he slipped through the big gate
and wandered over many streets until
he came to q clockmaker's shop with
cheap jew-elry on the side. The man
with nc intelligence as to human
clocks gone wrong. told the truth. The
diamond was only glass stopper. And
by the time he had shut up shop and
gone home that night he had killed his
man.
Joseph was dying hard. Realization
Of the actualities of pauperism had
cheated him of the happiness of max
ing everybody rich. The doctor stood
by, and at Joseph's shrieking request
the sister who had been in charge OF
him knelt at his side. But Joseph would
not be consoled:
''I thought 1t was q diamond, sister
and that king would come-but It Is
only glass"
You cannot feed paralytics and clean
sores and otherwise nurse second
childhood from novice to last vows
without learning how to soothe ancient
babies on their death beds.
But there is King. my son. And He
is coming to you-soon."
calm. or. perhaps-just perhaps-there
came to him something of the wisdom
of things as they really are, for he lay
there expectantly. And when he called
out with gladness that died in its
voicing the sister knew that the King
had come.
A pauper is of no consequence. of
course-outside of his ability to let a
poet rattle his bones over the stones,
but
A doctor thought Joseph was worth
telling about. And what a doctor says
goes.
In keeping step with Father Time
she had come to the autumn leaf stage
of the road where common sense serves
as compensation for girlhood's vanished
charm. But, all the same. she wanted
to take singing lessons. She let out
this ambition the instant she met up
with late-frost woman who. in her
turn, had followed the Oscar Wilde epi-
gram to the comfortable point of not
caring a hang for the admiration she
wasn't getting
Hello. Miss Carrie. I'm thinking of
taking vocal course. Do you know of
a good teacher?"
If Miss Carrie did, she failed to name
him. She just gave a hitch to her knit
ting bag and registered surprise.
Well. of all foolishness! First [ ever
knew of your having voice-and I've
known you quite a spell'-
II haven't. But I've got doctor who