Worth The Risk

The following true story appeared in a New York Times feature:

It happened to me the other day. As the subway train pulled out of Times Square on its way to Queens, two beggars appeared, one at each end of the car. Almost simultaneously, they started moving toward the center of the train, holding tin cups as they went.

The older man, who was blind, wore a sandwich-board that seemed to be covered with news stories of his unsuccessful attempts to get a seeing-eye dog. In a loud voice he lamented that he had once had a promising career in music, but now he was reduced to begging. As I listened, I could see that the other beggar, making his way silently between the poles, was a double amputee.

For some reason, the passengers were being unusually generous to this man. As I heard the sounds of the coins dropping into his cup, I wondered what would happen when the two men met in…