The Humped Back Umpire
"Humpy can never be the umpire for our team. An umpire is a mighty
important position on a team and a humpback ... Well a humpback should not
even consider applying for that position!" Charles slapped his catcher's
mitt against his hip and his friends chorused, "yeah". Charles continued
to speak, "Humpy knows his stuff and we have to admit that it is not
his fault that he is a cripple but think about what everyone will say if we
have a cripple for an umpire. Charles lowered his voice and said impressively,
"I don't think a hunchback ought to expect to be on a team."
The boys slowly digested all that Charles had said. With conviction Bud growled.
"That's right. He oughtened."
"Hump's good with books; he is not an athlete," Fred agreed.
"I can't figure why Professor Griggs would allow a hunchbacked person
to be apart of our team," suggested Bill.
Quietly listening to the conversation, Charles father formulated a plan. Somehow
he had to teach this boy of his to be more sensitive to the needs of others.
Charles was overjoyed a few weeks later when he learnt that his Uncle Ben
would visit them.
Uncle Ben lived on the East coast. Uncle Ben was the editor of a popular column in a large eastern newspaper and although Charles had never met him, Charles was proud of him. Anticipating his Uncle's arrival made Charles tingle with excitement. It seemed his every second sentence was punctuated with details of this famous uncle whom he had never seen. Of course Bud, Fred, Waverly and Mayhew knew all about Uncle Ben and he made sure that they were all at the train station the day his uncle arrived. Waiting for the train seemed to take hours but finally the train did come. Scanning the crowd Charles saw a tall well, dressed man alight from the train and thought, "That must be my Uncle Ben" but his father seemed not to recognize him. There were other handsome, well dressed men in the crowd that exited the train but Charles father seemed to be ignoring them all. Finally Charles saw a tiny hump-backed man leave the train. His father started to run towards him and Charles groaned, "Oh, no, this could not be. This was not his Uncle Ben." But this man was his Uncle Ben and not wanting to cry in front of the boys, Charles bit his lower lip. He barely heard his Uncle's attempt at affection. He was only aware of one thing, his uncle was a hunch-backed man! All day he sulked around the house.
At bedtime mother went upstairs to check the guestroom—one last time—
and father went outside to do some chores leaving Charles alone with his uncle.
"Well my boy," his Uncle said, "I am sorry that you have been
cruelly disappointed in your uncle today."
Charles flushed hotly. He tried to make a denial but before he could say anything,
his uncle stopped him with a shake of his head. "No my boy, I am used
to reading faces. I am used to the look of disappointment on the look of people's
faces who have never met me before. It doesn't hurt as much as it once did,"
he said shaking his head. The feelings he had bottled for an entire day finally
found relief in a flood of tears and Charles started to cry. Uncle Ben continued
to speak, " It was pretty hard growing up, Young fellows do not always
understand the feelings of someone like myself."
Uncle Ben paused and Charles managed to say, "I am sorry, Uncle Ben."
"Charles despite my hump-backed condition I hope that we can be friends,"
Uncle Ben said shaking his hand.
Mother appeared in the doorway and Uncle Ben arose and said smiling, "I'll
see you in the morning, Charles.