Blind Bridging The Generation Gap

                            By John Schwery

               Another  time, a  friend of  mine and  I were  late visiting
          someone in a   hospital.   We came to  a bridge that we  knew had
          rails going along the side    of the bridge.  I suggested that we
          pick up our canes and run across the    bridge to  save time.   I
          ran along, away from the rail but with my fingers touching    the
          rail.  As I got to the other end my fingers brushed across the
          back of someone  wearing a jacket.  I warned my friend behind me,
          or, I tried    to  warn him.   He  must  have been  running right
          against the rail because he   hit  the   person,  a   woman,  and
          knocked her over.  I walked back to the woman     and  asked  her
          if  we   could  help  her.     She  would  only   answer,  "Leave
          me   alone."  Feeling  frustrated, we waited  a little bit  until
          some others came    and helped her.  We visited our friend in the
          hospital and told her and her husband about  our encounter.   Our
          friend had just had an operation and it hurt   her   to    laugh.
          Later, we heard that the newspaper said something like,     blind
          man knocks down old woman.