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Show THE OPTIMIST JENKINS was an optimist and, incidentally, inci-dentally, he was bald. He was not a too-credulous optimist wno invested his money In every thinly tinseled gold brick which was presented to him, but ne believed in things tnd in people; he had enthusiasm; he was cheerful under defeat. If the day was gloomy, Jenkins was hopeful that the sun would shine tomorrow to-morrow ; if prices were low or the crops not so abundant as might be desired, de-sired, he could always detect indications indica-tions of Improvement in the imiiediat8 future. Things are seldom so bad as they seem. lie argued. When some local enterprise or undertaking un-dertaking or project seemed hopelessly involved or on its last legs, it was always al-ways Jenkins who was called in, and he could so Inspire enthusiasm and confidence that' more often than otherwise other-wise the venture succeeded In pulling out of its hole. He made the Country club go when it seeried uying of financial finan-cial anaemia ; lie put new life into the Baptist church when religious drought seemed about to devastate it; and when local business was stagnating and civic enthusiasm was at its lowest low-est ebb he organized a Kiwonis club that immediately put the old town on the map. As I said at the outset, Jenkins was bald, and this condition was to him a matter of considerable concern. Here, as usual, however, his optimism came !o the front, lie believed that ulti mately he would find a remedy for th condition of his shiny poll, and he kept at it persistently and cheerfully. He tried a number of nostrums, and his friends, knowing his hirsute ambitions, am-bitions, recommended others to him. One of these guaranteed success. "Do not drop any of tiiis liquid," the directions di-rections read, "where you do not wish hail to grow." This femedy seemed too dangerous to handle, so Jenkins evaded it. hut be kept on with others, fully confident that lie would attain success. Hair Is a pretty difficult substance to develop on a billiard ball, but maybe may-be it can be done. The last time I saw Jenkins he had a very respectable showing of curly locks. Maybe it was faith, maybe it was persistence, possibly pos-sibly It was the regular ami vigorous massage which he gave the top of his head, and it is possible that it was pure optimism that brought about the result. At any v'. Jenkins succeeded. |