Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1903 — RIGHT ABOUT FACE! [ARTICLE]

RIGHT ABOUT FACE!

MRS. ADRIAN KRAAL.

b— comes old Wudily with his boys; let’s have some fuu out than a dozen boys on their way Imm fma school, with noky jests, surMhM as old man who was , limping s)m| with a basket on bis arm. lie tsnoi • curiously vacant looking, yet —lHug taco on tho boys, and stopped. **BMa Wnddy! what ge-ratc, gu-rahd Hiifiif-r hare you got in your basket %s iajT* “How’s yer liver, Wud'dy?” -trto don’t you swaller some of that adaff wad cure yerself, you old quack isar were some of their questions. Bo waited patiently till there came a Id la the storm, then began: “Here, mog gentlemen, is that most wonderful poetantioa, Balm of Healing, certain tnaasßg <er chills, fever, neuralgia, lumhaga. goot, pleurisy—” “Ot firs ns a re*t, wp’ve heard all Bat Mow, haven’t you anything else?” *deal here are the miraculous Electric Vaia. fey their use paralytics are cured, abfe fset straightened ” "W*fe 1 guess we won’t take any today, aa wans of us are .paralyzed or clubSeatod. Just give us ooe of your wondaM exhibitions of ventriloquism and Brae fence a jig!” and the poor, simple AM raws tried to do ns they.asked, and üßea he had ceased the curious gutteral asnats sad shrill calls, he accepted their MMarara ridlculs and almost deafening Beads far honest applause, “Now the JB' Wsddy,l they , cried, nnd setting feoara his basket, lie began hopping brisk- - % aaawad on tbs ground. The wind oaraM away his hat aud Blew his long > ferae* about his face, but he was lnhsaaated sod did not pause. “JLet’a. dance hast.** cried the boys, and they began rapariag around, bumping against the old asm aad each other With such force that Bpde jt them wore knocked down and Bfe ta a heap on tbs basket. There was m aawod of rmashlng glass and loud hurrafta from tbs rolling, straggling boys. yo« have broken my bottles and «Bi aj precious! medicines; oven my laM is ruined,” said tho poor old fellow. m 4 he began to ery like a child. “Hay he’s blubberin’ like x baby; I’d ho ashamed,” said some of the boys. A Saw as -them looked ashamed of themB***fL, i*** 1 t*** aroupA the corner aaara Herbert Page, one of the tall high ■Balt hays. He stopped at sight of the asoas* rad seeing his own brother CharSa Bare, asked: “What’s the trouble, giawgrtirs?” ‘•fefc aothing, only old Wsddy’a basket gB oasashed,” said one. “We were helpBra dance a jig and fell on it,” said i think I understand. Here, ’ Irak Wadsworth , let me see your basket. - feßw. many bottles were broken? Four? .yifß two dollars, eh? Well, yoa yqungahsra ran raiss two dollars to pay for waß Mischief. 1 guess.” ; aU Slmple-tbtnded Waddy! I •aara rat” Mr. Wadsworth, indeed,” aaUjrae hoy, scornfully. Whra Herbert had preesed the banket fefta shape and placed the “Electric Imra~ hi tt, bo said, “I’M only a Half Bjßa wfch mc 4 Will U pay for Charlie’s «*f old man took itthanhfully. and rasa* Way with V sad face. 1 ' hsga w#r» -vary quiet as Hubert MU sshartr at them, l;Vhgy began to ■raßat ttp lrfheea rude and thoogfat- ? -raWfe l ill-.n sa •"** io j.m .-s >.4 ■' Thayaa know wtp that poor old man ~ hTpM J -TT. :i ■Whfc OM Waddy, of course; bo’s BUhahM rve kaown him all my Barton Wads worth, a veteran flBHh at Gettysburg ho received

tho injuries that made him what he is now. lie gets a Fmnll pension, but it will huhlly keep him lti the plainest food and clothing, and keep a shelter over him, so lie trios to earn a little money by selling those medicines you boys have destroyed. I noticed some of you fellows taking part iu the exercires on Decoration Day with great enthusiasm. Now it strikes me that there would-be as much patriotism in showing honor and respect to living soldiers ns to dead ones, and I'm perfectly sure that I would as soon die for my country as to have my mind so injured that every boy I met would make fun of me.” Then Herbert Wont on and left a thoughtful group of boys lastead of the noisy, heedless crowd he had found. VI sny, fellows,” said one, lad, looking lip from the hole he had been digging with his toes. “Old Wa—Mr. Wadsworth, I mean —does show signs of having been a gentleman once. Ever notice how neat and clean his hands and clothes always are?” “Yes,” said Charlie Page, “and he neyer forgets to lift his hat when he meets a lady he knows, mother says.” “last’s pay him for those bottles we smashed,’V said another. The old fellow was as grateful when the boy 3 went to his poor room to pay what they owed as if they had made him a magnificent present They had had a taste of doing right and relished it. It was “About face,” with a right good will. Instead of following him with jests and ridicule and making a joke of his infirmities of mind and body, they took pains to treat him with respect and kindhesa. After a while some of the fathers of these, boys began to Dotice the great change in their treatment of the old man, and then to feel an interest in him themselves. Then the necessary steps were taken to procure for‘him an increSre of the pension, and now be no longer carries a basket fit medicine to sell, and he would almost lay down Iris life tp serve one of those boys.—formal Instructor. ' 1