The Gentleman in the Public House:

Ah, the night is young sir. Is feels strange, does it not, to be sat here in a warm room were nothing stirs but the log in the fire and the ear of the resting dog? Men like you and I have seen different nights from these. I would not change that for all the money in the world. Would you sir?

There was once this gentleman I happened to chance on. It was at the time of the forest fire that burnt half of the pine forests to the north of the great mountains. Yes, it was not in recent times. The children that play on the streets laugh while they swear about the fire. Not you or I would sir. For we know better. So it was after the fire had burnt down and left a shame where a forest stood, and it was not just the forest it burnt. Our little house by the woods was now a heap of ashes at best and my brother and I had moved to the village nearby which was at that time called Spade. There in a public house, on a sunny thirsty afternoon, sat this young gentleman, in shirt and tie, drinking his ale and watching the world with half a smile. He was genial. He loved to talk but when he talked good sir, we listened. Full of mirth and anecdotes were his sayings.
“I love the far East sirs.” He says. “One tends to think around here that the peoples of the world be very different from each other and that the East in particular be a lot of uncivilized people that know not to use a spoon when need be. Right you are. They know not to use a spoon my sirs, but they will sooner not eat their meal than put a man at displeasure over their ignorance of spoons. They will wait till you have had you meal and left with a full stomach. They will pretend to be full themselves even while their insides cry of hunger. All this because they want only to be polite and not spoil your appetite. Now that is what I call true civilization.”
We shook our heads in wonder.

“I was with a family once sirs, who had the misfortune of having a rather large number of children. This was in the area between China and India. A no man’s land really, but a land with people never the less. This man, the father of the house took me into his modest home and paraded his children before me. There were about thirteen present, all very clean and disciplined. He then ordered them to bring us a meal. There were about three dishes full of meat and rice. I ate to the health of my host while he filled me in on their family history. A very pleasant affair it was. It was only later when I visited some others in the area that I learnt that this man was a poor as a rat. He had pawned his wife’s sole jewel to pay for the meat. His wife who had carefully kept from making her appearance, was too ashamed of her tattered clothes to be seen. And all along that man treated me like I was a king and he another. I can hardly say how much it touched me dear sirs to see this form of hospitality.”

We nodded, bringing up pictures of yellow skinned men and bowls of rice in our heads.
“I believe in the Bible sirs, and so I call myself a Christian. But I have known men of other religions and their faith has shown me not to be so conceited as to consider my opinion better than theirs. For I think if there be a God he makes no difference between them and us. The rich among them know no want, just as our rich know no want. Their poor know hunger in its true form as our poor do. So if there be a God, my sirs, he turns a blind eye to all of us equally. Who then are we to hold differences.”

We were convinced this man was a philosopher. Yes, he was young, even so he was far more knowledgeable than all of us put together. I must say sir, at that point I wished, even if for a very short minute, that I had not lived my life here on the mountains. I wished I had travelled to the Far East and eaten bowls of rice. I was convinced it was the elixir of knowledge. I felt like a country fool.

We would see him each night at the public house. He would talk and we would listen. Then one evening after a heavy bout of drinking, this gentleman made to go to his bed for the night. The next morning he was found dead. They found him still in his shirt and tie, lying by the road corner. He was dead. The government officials came and found his papers. They said he belonged to a small town off London. They said he had certainly never travelled outside the country. They said he had no money and was making away with some loose change from the keeper of the public house when he met his sudden demise.