Your Editor Sez…
Larry Kaercher
Origninally published in Forest Park Review on July 18, 1973, page 3.
In these times of “What’s in it for me?” and “Do unto others before they do it to you,” it is refreshing to relate a story quite the contrary to the above thinking which is too prevalent today. This is a tale of exemplifying the thought of “it is better to give than receive.”
It seems there were four gentlemen that were card playing cronies for may many years. And as it happens to all of us sooner or later, one of the four left this veil of tears for the happy card casino in the sky. The dear departed was the one and only of the four who was the constant and consistent loser. Which brings us to the “kicker” of this shuffling scenario.
When the time came for the remaining three to pay their final respect to their friend, they each viewed the remains individually. The first, remembering the deceased’s losing habits and also feeling a very slight twinge of remorse removed a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and set it in between the cold folded hand of his former card playing adversary. The second, witnessing this great act of charity, and also not wanting the dear departed to leave this scene penniless, placed another twenty-dollar bill alongside the first. Now, we see the third and the last remaining player about to emulate his peers. It must be said here and now that this last one was the card shark of them all. Rarely, if at all did he ever have a losing night. He was one guy that did all the winning all the time. And he, noticing the magnanimous monetary movement of the first two decided that the should contribute his fair share also.
So he reached over and picked up the two twenty-dollar bills, put them in his pocket, and replaced them with his sown personal check for sixty dollars!
Like we said before, “it is better to give than receive, ” at least that the way it is done today. Or maybe you don’t think so?
