XCVIII.
A GOOD FELLOW.
He was a good fellow.
He spent his money like a Prince.
There was nothing too good for him to do for those with whom he kept company.
He lived rapidly, and had no thought of to-morrow. He burned the candle of life at both ends.
To-day he is dead,—and those vampires who sucked his life’s blood and helped him to spend his money have no time to give him one thought.
Ah, how insincere and empty is the title of “good fellow” when it is applied to the man whose money is always on tap for those who are desirous of having a good time! And how corrupt and undesirable are the so-called friendships which spring from a lavish expenditure of money! Boys, the roof over your heads covers the best friends you could possibly have on earth. Those who slap you on the shoulder and say hilariously, “Good boy!” are seldom ever worth their salt. They like you for what they can get out of you—that’s all!
Real happiness in this world comes, if at all, from living right and doing right. If you are a good fellow in the sense of giving everybody a “good time” with your hard-earned means, I warn you that, when your money gives out, all your friends will desert you, and when you die they will be the last ones to come near you, and may even laugh at what a fool you made of yourself!