A certain merchant who had risen from zero to four or five hundred
thousand, was filled with the idea that he was self-made.
The idea increased until he was not only filled with it, but he
overflowed so that he lost no opportunity to put his thumb in the
arm-hole of his vest, throw out his chest and tell people how much
patience, perseverance, energy and will power he had exerted to make
himself.
He took much pleasure in smiling superior smiles at the young, striving
and unsuccessful, and in relating how, unaided he had risen from an
undershirt and trousers to a dress suit at dinner.
One evening the merchant was lounging in his library, smoking his
perfecto and composing peans of praise to himself, when he became aware
of the presence of an entity which stood before him regarding him with
an amused expression of countenance.
“Who are you?” said the merchant.
“I am Circumstances; I alter cases,” said the Entity.
“Oh, indeed,” said the merchant, “do you want to see me?”
“I am forced to take cognizance of you,” replied the Entity.
“Well, but what can I do for you? What is your business with me?” asked
the merchant.
“You can do nothing for me,” replied the Entity; “but I can do much for
you and have done much.”
“You must be making a mistake,” said the merchant. “You are in the
wrong house. I never had any cases altered and I don’t need any altered
now. Go away, please, I do not know you.”
“Yet I made you,” said the Entity.
“Pooh! pooh! nonsense,” said the merchant, “you must be a stranger
hereabouts; everyone knows I am a self-made man.”
“A self-made fool,” said the Entity, “your memory is short and your
vanity great. Do you remember the strike that took place when you were
in the undershirt and trousers period of your life?”
“Yes,” slowly replied the merchant, a little flurried to hear a
stranger go back so far into his history.
“Well I made that strike case, and only for that case you would have
starved to death. You became a scab workman by taking advantage of me.”
“Really,” said the merchant.
“Now,” continued the Entity, “you remember your quick promotion; how
you rose to be foreman?”
“Yes,” quickly interrupted the merchant, “but you know that I was
eminently fit for the position.”
“Of course you were fit,” answered the Entity, “but ’twas I who made
you fit and I made the case. What good would your fitness have been
without the case?”
“Well, but my dear fellow,” commenced the merchant.
“Don’t ‘well but,’ and ‘dear fellow’ me,” interrupted the Entity, “the
war that laid the foundation of your fortunes was my doing. You must
admit that I made you or I am done with you.”
“I will not admit anything of the kind,” hotly replied the merchant.
Immediately the Entity became invisible. His sudden disappearance
rather shook the self-confidence of the merchant, but a few hundred
thousand makes a man very brave and assertive.
The merchant thought no more of his experience till he went to his
office and discovered that his trusted manager had eloped with his
daughter after having used up various negotiable securities. Then
something seemed to tell the merchant that Circumstances had to be
taken into consideration. And more lessons were forthcoming, for
Circumstances altered so many cases that the merchant did not expect to
be altered that he was finally reduced to his undershirt and trousers
again. The front door of the merchant’s house banged furiously and the
merchant awoke to the fact that he had been dozing on the lounge of his
own comfortable library with the cat asleep on his chest.
He patted and stroked the cat kindly and thought a few thoughts that
did him a great deal of good.
When the merchant’s cat had kittens, the one that was not drowned was
christened Circumstance.
[Illustration]
It is an honest church that pays taxes.
* * * * *
The poorest reason for being straight is fear of being crooked.
* * * * *
We go into Society to rid ourselves of the dull monotony of an empty
head.
* * * * *
Say not in thy ignorance, “If I had wealth I would do so or thus,”
for no man knoweth himself sufficiently to foretell his actions under
circumstances he hath not experienced.