WHICH? OR WHAT THE SUN SAW.
By Helen A. Steinhauer
A BOY on a bicycle, riding down the street. Two old ladies standing talking to each other on an elevated plank walk at the corner. The younger of the two, standing at the edge of the walk, was not far from sixty years of age. The other must have been older still, as her hair was snowy white. She stood directly in front of the boy, who evidently had no idea of stopping, as he rang his bell and rode ahead, seeming to be quite unconcerned that she might neither see nor hear him. Her back was turned toward him, and she was quite hard of hearing. Seeing this, the younger lady said pleasantly, "Jump off, my boy; don't make old ladies get out of your way." At this the elder lady started, and, taking in the situation, stepped off the sidewalk into the street, while the boy rode on triumphantly, passing her without swerving an inch from his course. Then a thing stranger still happened. The boy rounded the corner, and when in the middle of the crossing beyond, dismounted, turned, and, looking the old ladies full in the face, an ugly sneer disfiguring what might otherwise have been a comely countenance, exclaimed, with an offensive drawl: "Old ladies! I guess old ladies ain't as great as they think they are!" And, having thus freed his mind, deliberately mounted and rode off, leaving his aged hearers gazing at each other in mute astonishment, they having been taught to regard such conduct much as the prophet Elisha might have done. (See 2 Kings 2:23-25.) A bright morning in June. Two boys seated on the side stoop of their rented home, heads close together in boyish confab. Presently one of them, glancing up, saw an old lady of the neighborhood approaching, probably on her way to church, as she had her hymn-book in one hand, while the other held her silk sun umbrella. A pleased look flitted across the face of the younger boy, who nudged his companion, and said, in what was meant to be an undertone, "Don't she look nice?" and then, as she came nearer, grabbed his worn cap from off his curly head, and sang out, boy fashion, and with a beaming smile, "How d'ye do?" The old lady smiled back, as she returned a cheery, "Good-morning!" His salutation made the pleasantness of the day just that much more enjoyable to her; for old people who keep their hearts young never lose their loving appreciation of friendliness from boys and girls. Altho no Jew, this lad had unquestionably been reared in accordance with the spirit inculcated in Lev. 19:32 and Prov. 23:22. Now, lads and lassies, I leave it to you which was the gentleman, the rider of the bicycle, or the boy who doffed his cap?