The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, December 15, 1911, Image 8
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Wellington h*d
1/ boon ooco*d?d to b?
a brand rn?w g?u tua in
Lb? financial world ? ??
marvoluu* belo* who
oould chan?? atone* Into
bread and MrpMU Into
fowl; U??Q all at ouo ?
fymi4 la U*
Lbroea of bankruptcy.
He had uhaualAd hla
reeourcee and waa for
the Um? Mdi hopeleaaly Insolvent.
Day by da/ bit little handful of re
maining change vanished In steadily
diminishing ratio u bla meal* b?
came cheaper nod further apart, un
til finally be bad but a dime left. This
coin he reeolved to tare for some laat
and moet deeperate extremity, and h?
ereu determined to faat for day* be
fore parting with ft. And faat for
days he did, while oft tlmee the dajrs
came much too faat.
When Christ ma* ere canoe he had
not taated food for three days. H?
felt that he could endure It nc
lopger, that .the last and moat deepen
ato extremity bad arrived and that
now be muit spend hla dime. H?
vaa plunged deep In meditation when
he felt someone touch hla arm and
turned about.
Beside him there stood a gaunt man
with cavernous cheeks, feverish, wild
lsh eyes, and a stomach that curved
the wrong way. The apparition ad
dressed blm in a croaking voioe.
"For Qod's sake, stranger, buy me
something to eat I am pennileaa and
upon the verge of committing crime
I have worn out my shoes looking tot
work, and while I have a job promised
me It will be a week before It Is open
And meanwhile 1 am starving, friend,
starving. In the namo of Christianity
spare me enough for a meal out ol
your plenty." .
Walllngton stared into the evening
dusk as he fingered his last and
?moothly worn dime. He know well
enough what this other man waa suf
ferlng, for had he not been in the
same stage twenty-four hours before!
And to give a man a dime in such a
case was so grossly Inadequate. Yet
what could he do? He turned about.
Close before him woa a restaurant
whore he had spent hundreds of dol
lars In his palmy days and whose pro
prietor he knew well. Yet he owed a
bill there for his last big after theater
dinner party of many months ago, and
he had never had the courage even in
his seml-fltarvation to go In and ask
for more credit. Yet now it must be
done, for here was a human being
starving npon the streets. Wel
lington shuddered. It was plainly his
duty to fill this man's stomach, and
for the last time he would exert those
powers of persuasion which once up
on a time few men had been able to
resist. He took the stranger by the
arm. "Come with me," ho command
ed.
They entered the restaurant and
Walllngton walked straight up to the
proprietor. "Bob," said he. "I owe
you a pretty stiff bill, but I am going
to go to work In a week and then I
will begin paying you off. Now I want
you to do me a last favor. I owe you
about forty dollars, and a couple of
dollars more won't make much differ
ence to you. It Is Christmas eve and
my friend over there Is starring. Now
I want you to fill him up to the chin
on good, solid food and charge it to
me I will not ask you for any favor
again If you %wlll do this last thing."
The proprietor looked at his old pa
tron thoughtfully.
"All right," he announced at
length. "Being's Its Christmas ere
1.11 take a chance on you even If you
are down and out. Tell your friend to
order what he wants." 80 Walllngton
and the stranRer sat down together
and Walllngton watched his compan
ion fill himself with good things until
at last with his stomach again curved
the right way. the droop gone from his
shoulders and the feverish light van
ished from his eyes, the gorged one
arose
"My friend," said the stranger. "1
could not have endured It another day
? but of course you h^ve never known
what it is to go two days without
food. And when tonight you go home
and ait down to your table to your
feast, remember that there is an out
cast fellow being upon tho streets who
la blessing every mouthful that you
eat. Good-by. Christian "
Walllngton held out his hand. "Good
by, stranger, and good luck to you. It
waa a mere trifle. Happy to have
been able to give you a lift." Then
he went up to Frenches hash house
and had his dime's worth of coffee and
QUARRELED OVER TREE
rr ha? cost 50.000 fturcit and
A DOZEN LiVgg.
Long Mm of Psuds Tw#
fcsngsl IitttM |nd?d b/ Calcutta
RualntM Man.
A certain mango tree, It appear*, lo
growing up would Dot obeerve the
boundary Una between two liengsl ae
tata* and distributed Ite fo4lsgs and
fruit Impartially over both Am a con
sequence the owners ot the estates
bare a pen I about 60,000 rupees la
litigation, killed a dosen people and
fought the btttereet armed fig bta.
During the bearing aeaaon the tree
?M productive of many mangoea. Tbe
first quarrel aaecaa to base started
among Lbs women folks of the two
families, wbo Instated lb at Lbs man
goes belonged to one, then the other.
Tbey ev?p resorted to picking the
mangoea at nlgfct until one party hap
pened to c*tcb tbe other poaching. A
fight followed In which. It la said, two
were killed.
After thli quiet reigned for torn*
time, wh en the two principals mot one
day In a neighboring village and par
ticipated in a free-forall 'fight over
the Innocent tree. They wert sep
arated in a bloody condition and were
flnod by the police- Then followed a
long series of feuds and battles cov
ering a period of man/ rears, during
which the tree yielded Its luscious
fruit to the one who happened to be
cunning enough to pick it first. Final
ly both aides established armed
guards around the tree and kept
watch on each other nlgbt and day.
TbU went on with occasional fights
for several years. It was a case of
one trying to wear the other one out.
Thousand* of rupees were paid out
for these special parties and fines, for
burials of victims, court expenses and
ammunition. It was not until Just re
cently that a prominent business man
of Calcutta was able to settle the dis
pute. He asked the two land owners
to Jointly deed the tree to him In re
turn for many favors he had rendered
both of them. This was finally done
and he has caused a large eement cir
cular wall to be erected about the
tree, to which he has acquired full
title and possession.
The quarrel has not only been ex
pensive and fatal, but has kept a com
munity In a constant state of hostility
for many years. Any one traveling
In eastern Bengal can easily hear the
story and visit the scene of the feud,
if sufficiently interested in the case.
The gentleman whose strategy saved
the situation desires that his name
should remain unkhown. ? Calcutta
Englishman.
Through the Line*.
The young man who had come with
in an Inch of being run over. Bald ho
always, butted across the street that
way to keep folks from finding o?t
he was a country chap unused to city
ways.
"If I should hang back," he saM.
"everybody would take me for a
gTeenhorn, and I want people to think
that I at least know how to cross the
?treet city fashion."
"Hut the real town man doesnt i
cross the street In that bull-dog fash
ion," said a gray-haired relative. "He
drifts with the tide. Instead of butting
through the middle of a wagon he
ambles along beside It watching for an
opening. Sometimes he Is carried a
block out of his way In the midst of
vehicles before he flnds a way out,
but he Is never In danger because he
Is going with the current So If you
want to be set down as a man who
knows the life of city street*, dont
break through a heavy line of traffic
by main force, but follow the stream
and take advantage of the point of
least resistance."
Prayer Hslle In Ruwla.
In the village* of Russia the "prayer
hall" Is the common "lsba" or cottage
of a Stundist tnujik. or a shed attach
ed to a very primitive farm shed sur
rounded by prodigious quantities of
mud, dust or snow, according to the
season of the year. A separate build
ing erected expreshly for worship
among the rural evangelicals of Rue
sle Is a luxury yet to be provided In
the great majority of caaee. The
meeting place, whether "lsba" or out
house, has walls of earth. It Is with
out celling. The floor la the bare
earth, trodden hard by many feet
through the lapse of long years, and
worn Into lumps and hollows. The
walls are lime washed and destitute
of decoration or adornment There
are rough wooden benches around and
across the room. The place Is usu
ally packed to suffocation with men.
women and children, crowded on the
?eat a, thronging the doorways, and
huddling together on the top of th?
huge stove. ? Sunday at Home.
Making Money Rapidly.
A French newspaper has been cal
culating what various champions gain
by the hour or by the mile. The gain*
of Andre Beaumont, the aviator, work
out at almost $87 a mile. He cannot
compare with the winner of the Grand
Prix at Longchamps, As d'Atout, who
won money at the rate of $14,000 a
minute, or $38,400 a mile.
Automobile driving In 1905 paid a
winner, Thery, at the rate of $S8 a
mile, or $3,857 an hour. The chief bi
cycle prlie of France pays about $ly
066 a mile, or from $200 to $400 m
minute, but the tour of France for
bicycles, whreln men have just cycled
more than 8,000 milea around Franoe
during the hot wave, only pay* 66
cents a mile
blip's Cfrrfetma*
Greeting
?y WMHA IAWM
O I Mtt ? ut&rutM mrt,
who dOMn'l uikdm'suJ
tba meaning of ?a?
word lor*, mo I, >tf.
William Dune? ii $7*
1 vtormed Mar)oiio a'I to
borself. In au* w?r to
tba Anal d?crM of rag*
?o4 deflanca which that
[ gMiUwaa tarW at h?r
' by maaaa oi a rigorous
?lam of tha front door.
"I belleva b* would
iii re shaken me, If he hadn't rue bed
>ut in time to prevent himself from
lolng It," she continued, the ever
eedy dimples venturing out of thetl
aiding pieces, hat she banished them
severely. "I'll never^ never forgive
him, even though he asks me to, which
ot course, he won't! And he cells em
stubborn!"
Next morning Marjorie wee tremen
dously busy wrapping up dainty little
parcels, for the next day was Christ
mM, end her many friends must b?
remembered, in spite of quarrels and
Biriy.
Still, she seemed very much preoo
cupled over ber work, and quite tud
denly she threw aside the piece oj
holly she bad been toying with, an<!
fairly flew to the telephone.
In answer to her Impatient sum
mons, she was quickly connected wlU
Brown A Co. "8 book store. "Hare yot
sent out those books that were order
ed for Mr. William Dunning?" she ask
ed anxiously.
The answer evidently pleased ber
for she breathed a sigh of relief
"That's all right; I'm glad you haven't
for I have changed my mind about
them. Please cancel the order."
Marjorle hung up the receiver wltl
an air of triumph. '.'There, I'm glad 1
thought of that! Billy would bav<
construed a Christmas present Into ar
abject apology," she said, her Indig
nation rising at the very thought ol
such a thing.
But when she went back to her par
eels and picked up the little twig ol
holly she had Intended tucking awaj
into one of them, her face softened. "3
know that isn't the right kind of t
Christmas spirit to have, but I can'1
have Billy thinking that I am admit
ting I was wrong, when I know ]
wasn't." she argued with herself.
The Joyous ringing of Chrlstmai
bells antfrtaerry shouts of her youngei
sisters and brothers, when they dls
covered their stockings the next morn
lng, only served to emphasize her do
oresslon.
"Hilly never loved me; If he reallj
and truly did he never could treat mi
like this," she told herself as she stood
looking with unseeing eyes at th?
snowy Christmas world.
Just then a young man, fairly tear
lng around the corner, arrested her at
tentlon. It was no less a person thar
Billy himself who was coming, post
haste, to see her.
Marjorle looked at him In wotv
der. What had come over Billy 1
Why this sudden contrition, when. Bh?
admitted It now for the first time,
even to herself she had been greatly,
If not altogether, to blame for theli
quarrel.
"O, Billy, I am so glad you came."
Billy took some little time to emphar
Bite his appreciation of her welcome
then "Glad I came! Why wouldn't 1
come, dearT" he asked.
"Because you vowed you wouldn't
unless 1 apologised," Marjorle explain
ed mischievously.
"You didn't think I'd be bo narrow
and unforgiving as to Ignore your dear
little peace offering? 1 brought one ol
the books with me to read something
to you," he told her, and diving Into
his pocket he produced a little copy
of "Romeo and Juliet."
Marjorle waa surprised for a second,
then It flashed over her what It all
meant. Brown & Co. had forgotten to
cancel her order and Billy had re
ceived the hooka, nilly had construed
her sending them Into a humble plea
for forgiveness.
He most probably wouldn't have
come at all If It hadn't been for that
She stiffened visibly and all her lovs
was swallowed up In a wave of rebei
lloua pride.
"You are mistaken," she commenced
coldly, but Billy interrupted her.
"Here, I have found It.
" 'My bounty is as boundless as th?
sea.
My love as deep, the more I gtre to
thee.'
"The more I have, for both are in- i
finite," he was reading, and the simple
beauty of the lines awoke something
In Marjorle stronger than pride or r?
sentment and ahe only smiled when he
added tenderly: "My Christmas greet
tag to you, deer."
ORDERS PROMPTLY FILLED
^/ie ^Jdeal
(2/iristmas Sift
JUolidau ^Package of
3~uiler & Green Q/iocolates
3*or jfcem ^ > Sp~<<%
or %y a nip a jgueen Lsigars
^Ata/ce this ^Parlor a regular stop
yours for a ^Aterry Christmas '
Seo, Qrosb
y
j