The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-06-12
The Man Who Was
Afraid
(copyright.)
By A. WALTER UTTING

nj ONELS nave Deen written AROUND
men who have succeeded; history
bulges with names of men now famous
for bravery. Homer tuned his Tyre
to the strains of war; Walter Scott
rounded. No successful novel this, no
record Of one famous; no epic in
martial strain, nor ''they lived happy
aver after" This Is a brief story Of
man who was afraid and romance
that frazzled.
He was born In a small country
town, on miniature farm, where were
kept one COW (Which always captured
blue ribbon at the county fair), two
pigs, half a dozen chickens, and q
team Of working horses. He thought
Fate bore him grudge, and was an
ardent pessimist from the beginning
of his career
AS boy he had been burned In a
barn blaze, had fractured both legs
dropping from the roof of the same
barn at the same time; had broken his
arm in two places by falling from a
trapeze hitched to the rafting; had a
wagon shaft poke him in the eye and
threaten him with premature blind
ness, and had q few other such slight
things happen to him.
AS a young man he had sprained an
ankle In a railroad track frog had a
rib broken by a fall from bicycle !;
had received, on the side Of his head,
the full weight of baseball profess
sionally thrown (and the management
hadn't even offered to refund the quar-
ter he had paid for the privilege Of
viewing the camel; had been buttea
severely by a goat, and had been the
recipient Of several other small bless
ings.
AS a matured man he gave promise
of continuing the career mapped out
for a hoodoo son of a thirteenth child
who was the seventh son Of a sailor
born with veil. But the most impor-
tant event was when he fell In love
with a girl who threw him over, and
broke his heart. 1t was shortly after
this dire calamity that he moved to
New York city, where he meant to live
evermore.
But, for some reason, he was afraid
he would meet with bodily injury.
And. incidentally, he took out life
Insurance policy for $1,000 in favor
of the girl at home who had hit him
on the heart with Cupid's sledgeham-
mer. He was bit romantic, perhaps,
but he meant that she should see he
cared for her. And If he had to meet
with misfortune (and past perform
ances made 1t a sure bet that he
would, some one might as well profit
by it.
So he continued to be afraid, and re-
manned filled with dread. He figured
at last that there was but one thing
that had never happened to him, and
that his browning injury would come
when car struck him.
At this time another popularity de-
veloped in his system-he wanted TO
utter some noble words with his dying
breath; words that might filter through
the stones and sands of the ages and
crystalline with liquescent luster in
the future. So, being satisfied that
Fate's axe was a street car, he passed
his days keeping out of their reach,
and, though he still dreamed catas-
trophies, his waking moments at home
were devoted to memorizing for the
occasion words for his dying minute:
Mother Earth, thou art fair. chung
to thee as long as l could, but now
leave thee. If Heaven Is as fair
will be satisfied"
A few nights rehearsal of this as
breath. He cut out a word here and
there. At last he knew just what he
wanted to say, and it was on the tip
Of his tongue whenever he saw car {:
II die! 1 am satisfied"
Day followed day. He kept the
words handy and went about his work,
still afraid, still dreaming. So for
week, a month, a year. two, three,
four, five years-still afraid, still
dreading, still keeping his dying words
in mind, still paying the premium on
his policy, the amount Of which was
to be paid to his former inamorata,
but which was keeping his nose to the
grindstone to prevent lapsing.
Then one day the climax came. A
trolley car swooped down the street.
All, faithful foresight! He puckered
his lips for the chosen words. But
no. the man who was afraid lodged,
and passed in safety, his dying state
ment still unuttered And as he
walked, his head hung down, perhaps
in thanksgiving meditation, he came
to where foundation, for a skyscraper
was being blasted from the rocky I'M
derground Of Manhattan.
BangI A premature discharge took
place at that moment, and the man
fell a foul victim to the explosion. He
was lifted high In the air. People
shudderingly saw him, Elijah-like, car
ried heavenward in a chariot Of stone
on a sunbeam track.
So unexpected was the occurrence
that he did not utter his valedictory
to the world. When he returned to
earth he could not; he was in so many
pieces that Identification was impos-
sible.
Not knowing he was dead, the In
surance company cancelled his policy
when the next payment lapsed; and
SO the girl he had loved did not get
the money. And she thought, finally,
that he must have come to his senses,
for she could not understand why he
wrote no more sentimental notes to
her.