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Show Miscellany CHARACTER GUESSING. V17 HAT'S in the other fellow's mind, or in his pocketbook, whether he's cross, morose, or kind, whether a saint or a crook, are problems we attempt at-tempt to guess each day we move about. We say, "His whistle means distress, his wrinkled brow shows doubt; his genial smile shows lack of woe, bis voice spells confidence, his purse must be chuck-full of dough, his future is immense." And thus of men we get a hunch see what they have and are; we place on easy street one bunch, and some behind the bar. We call another class "good scouts," with just a common com-mon pile, another one "old down and outs," behind the times and style. We read characters just like fun, like rolling roll-ing off a log; we separate the sober one from him who sips the grog. We segregate seg-regate the wealthy set from those without with-out a sou; the sinner from the Christian pet; we spot the well-to-do. We guess aud guess and guess again, quite oft we miss and fail. The man with whom we left our yen, next month is sent to jail. The man we thought a millionaire million-aire off to the poorhouse goes; the one we thought without a care, is weighted down with woes. Methinks the safest stand to take in this old guessing biz, would be for me to count my stake and let John Brown count his; and then, before I send John Jones to meet the prison ward, pick up the trash and old drv bones around in my back yard. FRED WALDO CROCKETT. |