Your Reputation Has Folowed You

 

Your Reputation

Has Followed You

 

F

armer Hugh was lounging around the potbelly stove in the general store when one of his workers burst in the door, more animated than the farmer had ever seen him. “Mr. Hugh,” he said excitedly, “Mr. Carpenter’s son has just been caught stealing your oranges, right off the tree in broad daylight.”

“What?” demanded farmer Hugh, growing quickly angry. “This time he’s going to jail, since he has a reputation for stealing people’s crops.”

“Speaking of the devil,” said Mr. Steele, the store proprietor, “here he comes now.” Everyone looked as the young man entered the store, oblivious to the stares because he was caught up in a conversation with young Emily Pratt, considered by many to be the town beauty. After an irresistible glance at the girl, the men turned their attention to the boy.

“Just look at that,” said Mr. Hugh’s worker. “He walks just like a thief.”

“He looks like a thief, too,” added Mr. Hugh.

“And listen to him,” said Mr. Steele. “He even talks like a thief.”

By now the young man had stopped talking to Emily and exchanged his look of infatuation for one of bewilderment, in response to the scowls of the three men. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Wrong? Wrong?” said Mr. Hugh, sarcastically. “No, nothing’s wrong—that some extended time in jail won’t make better.” There was a heavy emphasis on the words “extended time in jail.”

“I don’t understand,” the young man said.

“Oh, come off it,” said the worker, almost snarling. “Your reputation has followed you.”

Just then, Mr. Carpenter, the boy’s father, entered the store. “Come, Henry,” Mr. Carpenter said, sharply.

“What is it, Dad?” Henry asked.

“Your brother Jeremy was just caught stealing oranges from Mr. Hugh here.” Mr. Carpenter tipped his hat to Mr. Hugh. “I’m so sorry about this. We’ll make it right. Now, we’ve got to go to the courthouse.”

The three men looked as if they had been slapped in the face. None spoke until after Mr. Carpenter and Henry left.

“Actually,” said Mr. Steele, “he doesn’t really talk like a thief after all.”

 “And he doesn’t walk like a thief, either. He doesn’t have that slinky gait,” added Mr. Hugh’s worker.

“And on second look, he looks pretty normal, not really like a thief,” admitted Mr. Hugh.

 

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Too often, the path to knowledge is blocked by the prideful assumptions we ourselves place in front of us.