THE GOOD WORD ACCORDING TO · THE ULTRA-HARRIER
IRA
Harry hangs outHarry meets a Great Dane
Chapter 23
For example, Harry was hanging out one day in front of a diner in the dNortheast,
2Just north of the Roosevelt Boulevard,
3Right next to someone who was collecting money to fight some eawful childhood disease,
4And the fcharity worker turned to Harry and said, “From what I hear about you, it would be pointless to ask you for a donation,”
5Whereupon Harry replied to her in a flash, saying, On the contrary, madam,
6I would be delighted to give you a donation,
7Because the more of them you save, the more who will grow up to follow my way,
8Which is why this gAngel at my elbow will now give you one thousand dollars in cash.
9And then the woman was disconcerted, and in her confusion sought to argue with Harry, saying, “What makes you so sure that the ones we work so hard to save will be lost to your way? hTruly I would give up now if I thought that would be the outcome.”
10At this, Harry smiled and held out his hand to the woman,
11Who took it reluctantly,
12And tears formed in her eyes as he answered her question, saying, In these days of my way, the only strength we can give our children is the irights due and payable on account of their weakness, whatever it is,
13Because strength born of strength is too frightening to others,
14And raises up jtargets for blame.
15I ask you, who in this Most Chosen Nation will prosper the more?
16Will it be the child who fights courageously to overcome hardship and suffering, without asking for special dispensations and endless forgiveness, and without burying others under a great mountain of self-pitying complaints?
17Or will it be the child who draws up a long list of all his infirmities and failings and disadvantages,
18aAnd then demands accommodation from everyone he encounters in life with the absolute certainty of one who knows his rights?
19And so I say to you, if it is your aim to reduce the needless suffering that accompanies the bad deal we call life,
20Then you cannot in good conscience ask your children to seek out the additional hardship and suffering which will befall those who bscorn my way.
21In what cuniverse would that make any sense?
22And with the tears running down her cheeks, the woman said, “I cannot best you with words, and so I will not argue with you further, but I do wish to know what manner of man you are,
23“You who speak so gently of such horrors.”
24And then Harry leaned down and kissed her, so that she was startled by his tenderness,
25And said to her, Madam, I am no manner of man at all,
26dBut only an ape in a white suit,
27eLike all the rest of the apes you choose to call your fellow man,
28If you would but scratch the fsurface of them,
29As you have scratched the surface of Harry.
30“May God grant you peace,” said the woman, g“for I believe that you suffer more than any I know.”
31Whereupon Harry smiled a farewell smile to her and turned to the cameraman, asking, Did you get that?
32And when the cameraman assured him that he had gotten it, Harry laughed and said, Am I slick or what?
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Chapter 23 / 46