He was at his best when tramping the country roads with a
congenial companion or two on a Sunday afternoon. On such occasions he
would pour forth a continuous stream of light-hearted talk on everything
under the sun--the new board of village trustees, the shameful condition
of the village streets, the prospects of a new roof for the railway
station. Good-nature was the keynote of his character, but he would
frequently sum up a situation or a person with a sly touch of irony or a
trenchant word or two. He once described the village streets as being
paved chiefly with good intentions. Another time he characterised the
minister of a rival church as having the courage of his wife's
convictions. But such flashes of satire went and left no rancour behind
them. His high spirits were proof against everything but automobiles.
These he detested, not because they made walking unpleasant and even
dangerous, but because they were run by men who mortgaged their homes to
buy motor cars, and thus threatened the stability of business
conditions.
Wallabout Smith would often be asked to lay down a few rules for those
who wished to emulate his success.
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