Evening star., 1949-10-20
This and That
Rv Charles F. Tr1ceweH
Fat men look arrogant.

Fat men look arrogant.
That was the thought which came to
Templeton Jones as he passed an unusually
plump number on the street.
He was glad he was not too fat, just bit
on the fatty side.
. Templeton Jones had tried the reducing
game several times. That was why he had
such sympathy for really fat men.
He knew that no matter how hard they
tried, they would never get away now from
that puffy face. that rigid attitude, that
pouter pigeon look that made them seem
arrogant.
Fat men had colored Jones life.
In the small town where he was born
there was fat man who always wore white
clothes and vivid yellow shoes.
He had a habit of chucking small boys
under the chin.
Jones was fastidious. even then.
"Finicky, are YOU? he chuckled in his
fat laugh. as young Temp tried to pull away.
There was another fat man who insisted
on rubbing his whiskers over the jaws Of
the young, male and female alike.
Somehow this pleased him, although his
young victims resented it nightly, often to
the tune Of screams and tears.
Small towns of the yesteryear had more
such odd characters to the square mile than
whole nations today.
There wasn't village or hamlet or even
crossroads that didn't have its quota of queer
gents who managed to entertain themselves
at the expense Of others.
Not all Of these wights were old, or fat,
either.
Some OF the youngsters were quite as bad.
They would get high pitched whistle (pur-
chased from the first Of the mail order
catalogue houses) and secrete themselves in
the woods across the creek.
Then, when the lights were lit and all
else was dark, the conspirators>would blow
the whistle in the dark.
1t was the dark, of course. that did it.
People today have little idea of the darkness
of the old time towns. and the latent fears
Of wildcats, called bobcats, that haunted
inhabitants.
The bobcat, then as now, was splendid
small animal. but one to let strictly alone.
Though the animal seldom if ever dropped
from an overhanging bough onto a human.
not being quite big enough-its natural
spirit was willing-it had done enough to
small game, and even dogs, to cause a
healthy fear of it,
The rumor went through town as the eerie
sounds came from the creek.
Doors were closed no one ventured out.
Posses were organized to hunt the creature.
Yet the next night, the same fearful cries
split the air, and the same fear permeated
the citizens.
1t was not too long after the Indians,
remember.
Templeton Jones found his memories of
bobcats and fat men getting all mixed up
He was glad the panther days were gone
but was the atom bomb any improvement?
Wasn't the bomb really just symbol of
something that has been happening to the
human world, wherein natural fears Of wild
animals has been transferred into fears OF
that far worse panther, the evil in the
heart of man?
Jones gave hitch to his trousers.
Was he turning into fat man himself,
at this late date?
Did it make any difference, any more,
whether one was fat or slim, beautiful or
ugly, as long as he is faced each day with
the thought of the evil In mankind taking
out its dire and ignorant revenge on all
that is good and sweet and decent in life?
| Fat men are arrogant, are they? Maybe
| SO, but not as deadly as thin men, who even
| in Caesars day were feared
"Give me men about me who are fat
said mighty Ceasar
Arrogant or not" adds Templeton Jones