That he was frightened, no one who saw him run could deny; that he
was needlessly frightened, seemed equally plain; that he was
chagrined when bystanders laughed at his exhibition, was highly
probable.
Now law is the business of a lawyer; it is his refuge in trouble
and at the same time his source of revenue; and it is a poor
lawyer who cannot make his refuge pay a little something every
time it affords him consolation for real or fancied injury.
In this case the lawyer collected exactly sixty cents' worth of
consolation,--two quarters and a dime, the price of two lunches
and a cup of coffee, or a dozen "Pittsfield Stogies," if there be
so fragrant a brand;--the lay mind cannot grasp the possibilities
of two quarters and a ten-cent piece in the strong and resourceful
grasp of a Pittsfield lawyer. In these thrifty New England towns
one always gets a great many pennies in change; small money is the
current coin; great stress is set upon a well-worn quarter, and a
dime is precious in the sight of the native.
It so happened that just about the time of our arrival, the
machinery of justice in and about Pittsfield was running a little
wild anyway.
In an adjoining township, on the same day, ex-President Cleveland,
who was whiling away time in the philosophic pursuit of fishing,
was charged with catching and retaining longer than the law
allowed a bass which was a quarter of an inch under the legal
limit of eight inches. Now in the excitement of the moment that
bass no doubt felt like a whale to the great man, and as it neared
the surface, after the manner of its kind, it of course looked as
long as a pickerel; then, too; the measly fish was probably a
silver bass, and once in the boat shrunk a quarter of an inch,
just to get the eminent gold Democrat in trouble. At all events,
the friend who was along gallantly claimed the bass as his,
appeared in the Great Barrington district court, and paid a fine
of two dollars.
Now these things are characteristic of the place, daubs of local
coloring; the summer resident upon whom the provincials thrive is
not disturbed; but the stranger who is within the gates, who is
just passing through, from whom no money in the way of small
purchases and custom is to be expected, he is legitimate plunder,
even though he be so distinguished a stranger as an ex-President
of the United States.
A local paper related the fishing episode as follows:
Here's a piece of wisdom on driving or cute car quote to study:
Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead. ~Mac McCleary
|
