The mountain Democrat., 1865-10-21

uHei Ut lnNt u Was bAlu wei WeAt1er was
expected
With many again / have only had bust
ness intercourse scores Of times, it may
be hundreds, we have met, and they al.
ways heard me speak in one key, and saw
me present the same guarded, unimpas
stoned stASe. The image they have Of me
is no doubt real as far as it goes, but it ls
very i0a6eqd4ce. I hsVe found that the
most striking examples of miSconception
in this respect occur in the case of pro-
feSsional gentlemen. Does the reader in.
clude . barriSter or doctor among his
friends9 | made the acquaintance Of Fuz.
buz in plain dress, and we had been init.
mate for years before first saw him be.
wigged and gowned in court? I really
could not believe it was FuzbUz; ! was
afraid Of him, and left the building hurri-
edly; it was villainous that horsehair and
a silk robe should so transhgure q man
| never saw IN individual look so hypO-
critical before, and he has not even YET
regained bis moral standing in my esti.
nation. In just the other way, Bolus,
time previously known in the consulting
room and the surgery, was quite another
person when met him up stairs in the
library; his face was not the same--the
style Of man was altogether different, as
he anxiously showed off bis rare old
books, and exhibited the preserved head
Of a large pike he had caught from his
own angling. But passing over these
mere outside considerations, let Us 60 still
deeper: What opinion do my very init.
mates really entertain of my intellectual
abilities, my moral characteristics, my
business capacities, my social quali6ca.
tions
Some time ago female farend, read
over to me, before posting it, a letter
which she and her husband had Jointly
concocted, giving q description of me to
a third person. lie is rather clever,
this precious epistle stated of myself
The lady, dear good soul as she is, re.
marked, in a parenthesis, that she was
for say ing very clever but Ralph
thought the other phrase better. So the
truth was out; the friend (and he was
quite honesty who, as had always until
then believed, considered me an intellect.
ual paragon, really vnd truly thought
was rather clever!
have made other extraordinary dis
coveries as to the grotesque judgments
our friends make of you. pass over the
incident Of the lady who thought ! was
very plain looking, but admitted bad q
pretty inStep; as also the case of the
gentleman who objected to my style oi
dress with the exception Of my pocket
handkerchicfS, which considered neat and
tasteful. Those were simply absurdities;
but what am | to think oi an old &C.
quaintarce who Tor years had often cried
aud laughed at my pathetic and witty
way OF putting things, at an evening par
~, not long since, publicly giving it al
his opinion, that though | was not much
Of o converSaIionalist, 1 could play a de-
cent game of draughtS! | was utterly
overwhelmed, and ! was not well recov-
cred when, the same night, after making
brilliant post prandial speech, ! subse-
quently found that my oratOrical abilities
we're specially ignored by the individual
to whom had looked for the highest en-
c0miumS, and that the feat Of skill with
which should hereafter stand directly
associated IN his mind was my ingenuity
in making rabbit shadows Oh the wSll to
please the children.
painfully perceive that not only am
ghost seen by pur blind people, to some
of whom do but look like tree walk
ing. Whether am any the more fcrtu.
nate in reference to my business capaci-
ties | do not know. | have not yet ap-
peared in the Gazette, but remarks have
occasionally been breathed to me in the
recesses of my hearth, and subsequently,
corrobOrated by observations from other
intimate quarters, which tend rather to
indicate that those nearest the aScribe the
circumstance more to good luck than to
excellent management on my part. am
somewh t inclined to think that, in these
respects, those standing close to you see
you more inaceurately than those farther
off. My architect friend triumphantly
carried off competition week or two
back for town hall, and nORt 81 his own
circle would believe it; and the Same
general incredibly was expressed among
his intimate associates, when NY other
acquaintance published his successful
novel.
Both these individuals had been living
at our elbows for years, and we did not
know them-had not an inkllng as TO
who and what they were. The only hu-
man being who ever thoroughly appre-
ciated my own possibilities on such like
points was my good mother was less
of a ghost with her than with anybody
else. She, | think, would not have con.
Sldered it beyond my deserts If | had
been made lord chancellor at dash, or
had received q request to allow myself to
be indicted into an archbishopric. My
male parent had something of q stony
glitter in his eyes, and was not so san
guine in his estimate; he was Self.will'
cd man, and generally insinnated, how
ever well | mpnOged, that in his own
hands the result would have been just
thought more satisfactory.
And similar mi$judgment. fear, hap
pen in yet more serious matters. Was
unable to lend an acquaintance ECO when
it was asked, and at the same time could
not well explain how came to be with
out the means. have sickening con-
victon that the Jolly fellow ! should so
like to oblige contracted q bitterness OF
soul towards me, when he saw me, as it
would appear to him, rolling in wealth
and yet tightening my purse strings
against the call of friend. shall be to
him selfish sneak as long as he lives.-
A brother business man, not long s nee,
begged me to back bill for him. ! eX-
planned that solemn vow, consequent on
the narrowest possible escape from ruin
in that way previously. prevented me;
but know he did not believe what lsaid,
and will most likely carry cordial ha-
tired Of me, as an unfeelng nigeard, to
his grave. A young lady I could name