Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1934-08-03

The saddest of these: 1T might have
BEEN
I don't know whether the above is
quoted verbatim ct literatln," but,
still, that's close enough, you all know
what l mean.
Did YOU ever notice little some
thing about that word, "been"? just
how it's pronounced depends upon
where you're at. Up Philadelphia
way. they give it the sound as is IN
the above couplet. This is the result
of Pennsylvania veneration of its pa
tron saint, Ben Franklin, you under
stand. They can't see anything IN
"been" but Ben.
If YOU go little further north to
Boston town, you'll hear it thrown at
you as if it were spelled "b-e-a-n.
Of course, you can account for that.
The Bostonese are so devoted to their
cultural diet of baked beans, "b-e-e-n"
can't be anything else but "b-e-a-n."
If YOU hike out to the Middle West,
You'll hear it called chin" And you
know those Westerners think in terms
of "bins." They see sucn stores OF
grain that it's impossible for them to
call any word that comes near to the
spelling of their storage houses any
thing but chin" And so it goes. It's
either "bin, bean, or hen," according
to the people you're mixing with. Bet
ter be careful Of your pronunciation
when you're taking your summer va
cation, or else someone will think
you're from the Eastern Shore.
How-some-ever didn't start out to
say all that. Somehow or other, the
little couplet at the head of this ar
ticle, kept running in my head-for
what reason I can't say-with the re-
suit l drifted into kind Of paraphrase
running this way:
Of all sweet words used here below,
The sweetest are, 81 told you SOL"
Of course, it wasn't necessary for
me to say, that's mine; wouldn't be
cheeky enough to try to saddle that
on anybody else. I am rather dispos-
ed to apologize for its rankness. But
amt it the truth? Is there any more
prolific source of satisfaction than to
be able to say to your friends and enc
mics II told you So" in confirmation
of some contention or statement pre-
viously made? Don't you get keen
enjoyment from seeing your prophe-
cies fulfilled, and don't you like to
make your opponents feel sort of down
and out when you hit 'em on the chin
with Il told you 500" faint any use
for me to tell you anything about that.
It's sensation as old as the race. I'm
quite sure that if the Old Serpent in
Eden could talk, he would have said to
Adam and Eve, 81 told you So" when
they went out exiled from the green
pastures.
You know, 1 wouldn't make anybody
feel bad for anything in the world.
The milk of human kindness has so
saturated my moral being that
wouldn't, for the world say 81 told you
so" to those friends of mine, in con-
firmation of what l said concerning
the nomination of various and sundry
candidates for the governorship Of
Maryland. No, no, wouldn't gloat
over my prediction concerning Gov.
Ritchies chances, l wouldn't be so
mean as to say IL told you So" mean
ing-Well, don't want to talk about
it. l don't want to say word about
the bunch l had that Radcliffe, Jack
son and Conley would be seen in a
fade-away. No, indeed, l have too
much respect for the feelings of the
good people of Pocomoke who saw the
principal character in said "fade-
away to be somebody else. l know
just how that 81 told you so" sort of
rubs them the wrong way to even
think about it, let alone vocalize such
an Objectionable remark. / want my
good controversialists to know that /
respect to the limit, their opinions re-
garding any political issue. And if
they should have picked the wrong
horse, and the right one, l wouldn't
be so mean as to say ~ told you So"
don't believe in rubbing in things on
man. It's true l did tell 'em so,
but what's the use of nagging? And
want them to know that don't mean
a darn thing when say II told you
so", except that really and truly did
tell 'em so, and want to ask if
there's any harm in telling the truth
tho the heavens fall. No certainly,
not.
Mrc G d., po...oll ;s c.,o,axl