Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-03-10
NO MORE CROUCH
Why Mr.. Parker Has Permanently
Reformed.
Something Providential In the Fact
That He Should Step on That
Broken Needle and Draw His
Own Conclusion.

A needle In the sole Of a foot Is
painful, but In the following story.
written by a contributor in the At.
Iantic Monthly. it brought salvation
to man who was very much In need
Of it. Parker was a "sorehead'-
sullen at breakfast. surly at dinner,
quarrelsome in the Office, crusty on
the street, bear at the party. hog
on the road. fly In the ointment.
His wife was afraid of him, his chill
dren we're afraid of him, his clerks
were afraid Of him. He was
Crouch"
One night. about two in the morn
ing, he rose, grumbling, to fasten
tapping shutter. On the way to the
window he emitted yelp of distress.
When they turned on the lights, Park
er was sitting on the floor, tuggins at
something embedded in the sole of his
left foot. Presently he held up half
of a needIel 1t was evident, they
thought, that the other half had re-
manned in his foot.
The family was drowslly sympa-
thetic, but confident that the doctor
would find the broken needle in the
morning with a magnet. Parker, how
ever, slept little during the remainder
of the night; he feared blood poison.
ing.
Immediately after the breakfast he
sought the family physician. who, af-
ter patient investigation, assured him
that he must have stepped on an al
ready broken needle, for there was
no fragment of the steel to be found.
But Parker knew that he was carry
ing in his body deadly thing that
undoubtedly had started upon its
fatal mission. He left the Office early
that afternoon and went home to sur
prise Mrs. Parker with a display of
! more tenderness than she had ever
Observed in him since their honey.
moon, which had long ago passed into
total eclipse. At dinner he appeared
greatly interested in the conversation
OF Bill and Susie about the high
school party. He patted Rags, the
dog. who surveyed him for some mo-
ments with an expression of undis-
guised incredulity before retiring to
the hearth to reflect upon the relation.
ship of humanity and caninity.
All that night Parker lay awake pre-
pairing for the speedy wind-up of his
terrestrial affairs, and at breakfast he
bewildered the household by encourag-
ing conversation concerning other
interests than his own. At the Office
curiosity reigned supreme and I'm.
stated. The clerks asked one another
what in the world had come over the
old man: and when he went out for
lunch. Parker gave blind man a
quarter and bought War Cry of a
Salvation army lassie.
The shadow never lifted. Every
night when he went to sleep he babe
himself good-by, for the chances of his
being alive In the morning were lust
as remote as tECy would ever be. But
1t was not morbid shadow. 1t
forced him to generate more light.
Sometimes his eyes grew moist and
his throat ached when he reflected
upon the deeply sympathetic under
standing of his wife. who studiously
avoided any reference to the impend-
ing tragedy, and who. in spite of her
secret sorrow. acted up to the situa-
ton in manner heroic.
The fact that Mrs. Parker. while
moving the rug in her husbands room
on the morning following the accident,
discovered half needle-the point
driven firmly into the foor-may also
have given her courage to see the ter
rible thing through with cheerful
resignation.