Once upon a time, in a small and happy village far, far away on a mountaintop, there lived an old and kindly man, who was known far and wide for his generous heart. Everyone in the happy village loved the old man for his good qualities, and also for a very, very special talent that the old man possessed. For you see, the old man was an uncommly skilled Juggler, and all who came to see the old man juggle were amazed, and would leave with their hearts filled with joy after beholding the rare feats of juggling skill that the old man was capable of rendering, especially during the yearly Spring and Fall festivals which were held in the mountaintop village, which, as I say, was far, far away from the madding crowd, and far from the corrupting influences of the metropolis.
One evening, after having juggled in the streets all day for all the overjoyed children that would pass by, the old man told his old wife, who had been baking a special lamb stew with melted cheese cassarole for the old man's dinner (as she did most every day) the old man told his old wife:
"Ja! Ja! Mama! I did zee juggling for zee chidren, and all were amazed......and....and Mama! Oh how they laughed!"
Mama smiled and listened to her husband talk, and Mama's heart was glad for her Jugglng husband's enthusiasm as well, and Mama said:
"I know. I know my husband. You are zee best juggeler in all zee land, und zere eest no one zat makes the children happier zan you!"
And the old man, the juggler would chuckle, and once more proceed to tell his old wife about all the smiles on the faces of the happy children as they watched him juggle 5 balls then 7 balls, then 9 balls, and then 9 clubs or pins, until everything that was thrown in the air became an almost invisible blur, like the blades of an electric fan appear when the fan is turned on full power.
And that was the way the old man who was a juggler, and his old wife, who very much loved and admired her old juggling husband, would most often spend the evenings, over lamb stew and melted swiss cheese casserole: talking about the happy faces on the happy children who would come to watch the old man juggle for many hours on end until his arms were like to fall off.
But....... unbenownst to the happy old man, the juggler, and his happy wife, there was trouble brewing in a place that was far, far away. And that place was, well, you guessed it, it was the Metropolis.
For in that metropolis, and among the Madding crowd was a very mean and cynical Lawyer type of a guy, who had a mean and cynical and cruel heart.
The mean and cruel lawyer type of a man, who also happened to be a wealthy and greedy law professor and a politician, had heard a rumor somewhere--it could have been in one of the hole in the wall dive bars the the cynical young man liked to frequent.
It was a rumor that a passing stranger in one of those dive bars had started, about a Juggler with unparalled talent, who lived somewhere in the mountians, and about how this juggler made all who came to see him juggle very happy.
Well, that bit of information was more than the mean and cruel and cynical law Professor type, with a tiny, wicked heart could bear, for, if the mean lawyer type of guy, who was a young man and a politician, had it his way, no on in the world would be allowed to be happy, and no one in the world would be allowed to smile--especailly children......
And so, the mean lawyer, who was a young man, resolved to find out where this supposed happy juggler lived, and thereafter to go there and expose the juggler for the fraud that he certainly must be (in the estimation of the young and cruel law professor type of guy, that is)
A mean smile spread across the face of the young man, and he said:
"By God! I'll find this old juggler, and expose him to all the world, for the FRAUD that he is. BY GOD! I'll do it. So help me!"
And his smile grew broader, and more sinister, and meaner, and had within it traces of all the mean and bad thoughts that were circulating through the mind of the mean, mean, law professor young man who was also a politician and just plain bad. And just plain mean.
To Be Continued
