| OCR Text |
Show ! Uncle Walte Sion vui a THE KIND WORD (IT Rl-AD such a beautiful rtlcle -I in the L'plift Magazine today," explained the landlady. "It said that the kind word is the greatest civilizing civil-izing inlhience In the world." "I have often thought," said the Xja .... .,.....flKr. star boarder, "that the value of the kind word is greatly exaggerated exagger-ated by our gifted sunshine writers and orators. When properly used, at the right time and place, It is an excellent ex-cellent thing, but you must admit, my cVar Mrs. Jiggers, Jig-gers, that It doesn't always bring results. Only this morning I heard you saying that the housework never would be done if you didn't keep j after the hired girl all the time, and I assume that you don't keep after her witli kind words. In fact, I hsve heard you say to that languorous damsel that she isn't worth the coal oil It would take to blow her through the roof. "I am partial to kind words, and use them whenever the' signs seem right, but they don't always work out as they should. On my way home this evening, 1 stopped to witness a dog fight which was in progress in the middle of the street. A great crowd had assembled, and the street was jammed. All the beauty and chivalry, chival-ry, fair women and brave men, were there. It is rather remarkable, when you come to think of it, that a dog fight has a great fascination for our leading citizens. They wouldn't go ten feet out of their way to listen to a college glee club, or hear an elevating elevat-ing lecture on the regeneration of the race, but they'll sprint ten blocks at the risk of apoplexy or heart failure to see a couple of misguided bowwows chew each other up. "Mr. Junkman, the banker, was at my left hand in the crowd this evening. eve-ning. Everybody knows how polite and suave he Is at ordinary times, but he was greatly Incensed because he couldn't get a good look at the wrangling pups. A man with a tall hat stood right in front of him, and .s'hut off the view, and Mr. Junkman knocked his hat down over his ears, without a word of apology or explanation. explana-tion. Why is a dog fight thus ruinous ruin-ous to our veneer of civilization? "A large man with a truculent face, was right In front of me, and I tapped him gently on the shoulder, and Informed In-formed him in the most courteous terms, that he was standing on my foot and doing great injury to my favorite corn. Nobody could have broken the news to him more gently than I did. If kind words were what they are cracked up to be the large man would have apologized and moved off. But he glowered at me in the manner of one who is willing to meet grief half way, and proceeded to argue the question. He said he wasn't standing stand-ing on my foot, that I was laboring under a hallucination, and If, by any mischance, he was standing on my foot, it was because that foot was so large he couldn't do otherwise. And in any event, he finally inquired, what was I going to do about it? "I didn't see that I could do anything any-thing worth while, for the man was as large as an ordinary cottage, and he seemed impatient for trouble. I was just explaining to him that I rather enjoyed having people stand on my feet, when the crowd shuffled around, and he was pushed to one side. In his new position, he was in front of another citizen as large and dangerous danger-ous looking as himself, and presently this second citizen took him by the ear, and twisted his head around, and said, 'Say, you big loafer, get oft' my foot 1' "The truculent gentleman hadn't a word of argument on this occasion. He squirmed away, and the second citizen gave him a prod in the small of the back that made him groan, and he didn't indulge In so much as a reproachful look. "Thus we see, Mrs. Jiggers, that kind words don't always bring home the bacon, and so I'll trouble you for ' the stewed apricots." |
