Show eAN AN AFFLICTED CITIZEN His Pitiful Story Failed to Move This Very Hard Hearted Woman I you can spare me a few moments of your time madam he said taking off a hat that had seen better days in the dim and misty past I should like th explain why I am compelled to appear before you a an applicant for charity Proceed said the la lady You have no objections I presume to my leaning against this pillar of the portico i porti-co to rest myself None whatever He leaned his robust frame against one of the posts coughed behind his hand and becan C I i have not always been reduced t this necessity madam In happier days not far distant I was at the head of a succcss ful business in a flourishing city I had a good bank account I was in the enjoyment enjoy-ment excellent health my domestic r la ations were pleasant and 1 was the recip ent of many civic offices My troubles ben g be-n with the death of my grandfather He pulled out a once red bandanna hand k erchief wiped a corner of his eye and r sumedf mmer He was a good man and I was much attached at-tached to him His loss moved me deeply Then my > only greatuncle died To lose ones only greatuncle madam he continued con-tinued in a broken voice bring t pang that I trust you may never know What nct inquired the lady The next affliction that befell me was afire a-fire that destroyed the home of my wifes aunt She was a most estimable lady The loss was total and there was no insurance in-surance I sympathized deeply with her and she she came to spend the winter with me She brought her whole family He paused as if to note the elect of this coughed behind Ms hand again and wiped his eyes with the bandana reminiscence as before Well Well madam I bore up rs well as I could until myboy my eldest the center of my fondest hopes excuse this emotion madam a Certainly I bore up until ray boy began to chew tobacco Then my health failed You dont look like a sickly man I am aware of itt madam My trouble is i one ofof nerves madam of nerves The doctors advised me to travel I could not follow their advice then owing to business busi-ness complications In the troubles that came upon me our stock of goods had rundown run-down to some extent Then came the tariff excitement and What had that to do with it It was the final blow We had expected of course to mark our goods up and realize real-ize l handsomely but Well We we had no goods to mark up And then And then I took to the that is I began be-gan to travel It was the doctors advice Then I r0po r Then ti F Yes then you t v 4r j Why dont you go ahead Madam said the traveler straightening straighten-ing himself up I see it in useless I have not awakened your sympathies Not a cents worth Not even to the extent ofhe suggested suggest-ed with another laborious cough behind his handof a cold collation No I might have known it lie exclaimed putting on his hat and turning away In telling my story madam I am usually interrupted in-terrupted at the greatuncle part of it by the offer of substantial sympathy To the fact that you permitted me to proceed until un-til I became tangled up in the McKinley bill madam lie added with bitter reproach re-proach in his tone I attribute this ignoble ig-noble failure I have not fallen in my own esteem madam but my faith in human nature has received a terrible shock He thrust one hand in the breast of what had once been a black cloth coat waved a majestic farewell with the other and was gone Chicago Tribune |