The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1871-09-16
Betsy and L are Out.

1t is too bad that Notwithstanding wo-
manknd-cannot be induced to believe that
lie is lie under all circumstances. The man
or woman who first spoke of o lie as aohite, has
great deal TO answer for because of the subse-
quent harm wrought by that soothing, qualify
ing, conscience-lulling word. In certain
book, whose authority is unquestoned by you,
dear reader, are told in simple, direct terms
that "GU liars have part in an exceedingly
disagreeable lake. No distinction is made
between those that tell lies of a velvety black
ness, and those that utter spotless white ones.
White liars, Whitley brown liars, lemon -colored
liars, mlk-white liars, pearl-gray liars, and so
on through the various shades down 10 black
as-can-be liars, all these are to have part Gin
the lake that burneth with fire and birthstone"
"AN liars are to have part"-no distinction
will be made on account of color.
One of the most popular white lies OF the
present day is found in the words put into the
mouths of wretched servants, whose duty it is
to answer door-bells. Betsy and Bertha are
up. stairs of an afternoon of summer, taking
the post-prandial nap, or reading the last novel,
or attending to their correspondence, or dis
cussing Gail Hamilton, or weaving the intri-
cate eating" To them appears Bridget, from
below stairs, with the information that their
Aunt Hubby is in the drawing room. Miss
Betsy looks at Miss Bertha, with a face full of
anything but pleasure, and Miss Bertha re-
turns the look with glances that correspond.
The young ladies whisper a moment, and then
Bertha speaks to Bridget, saying, "Tell the lady
down stairs, Bridget that Betsy and are out"
Bridget bows, retires descends and delivers
her message, and the young ladies return to
their woman's work.
It is done,-as the country girl said about
kissing,-it is done in the first families. From
Catholic, Jew, Protestant and Infdel homes,
the same order issues for the disposal of disa-
greeable guests-tell them, Bridget, that Betsy
and l are out. If you plead with the persons
that issue the orders, and assert that they are
at fault, bright eyes open with amazement,
and red lips remark, "Pshaw it's only white
lie."
Only white lie Did it ever occur to you,
Bertha, or to you, Betsy, that if in sight of
heaven one day was as thousand years, then
a white lie might be as a scarlet one E? Your
lover, Bertha, as the highest possible compli-
ment, calls you an angel, and yours, Betsy,
tells you that your eyes as blue as the cloud
less sky, which is all very pretty, and no more
than the truth. But in the sight of the ALI
Seeing, the heavens are not pure, and He charges
his angels with folly. Think oft, as you look
up into the matchless dome hung over the
world /; the great Judge pronounces itunclean.
Think of it, as you next hear soft voice sing
CANCELS ever bright and fair" the Sinless One
charges his angels with folly. Are you quite
sure, young ladies both, that ,ohitc lie, viewed
in the light of another world, appears particu-
arly pure, and after the similitude of wool
newly washed?
But, says Bertha, you don't understand this
speech that you are making such fuss about.
When I tell Bridget to say to Aunt Hubby that
Betsy and I are out, merely put into the large
mouth of that domestic, speech very well un-
derstood in the social world. The information
to would be caller that ''the young ladies are
out" does not necessarily imply that they are
not IN. You are not to construe literally under
all circumstances, and "out" may simply mean
''out" as far as Aunt Hubby is concerned, and
have no reference to the location of Betsy and
me in the abstract.
Which is all very well, Bertha, and fair and
plausible, and worthy of the children of this
world, who in their generation are wiser than
the children of light but good many speeches
and good many things in "social world" are
not quite as they should be. And construe
literally, or, no, construe literally, lie is a
lie. And you, Bertha, if you send word to
Aunt Huldy that you are out, when you are
not, you are a liar. nice, sweet, plump,
an gelic bright-eyed, golden haired, sy-lip-
ped, ivory -shouldered, impled-handed, Gin
derella-footed, stylish, well-dressed and most
lovely liar.
But still liar. And spite of all these COM
plimentary adjcctives, judgment shall be en-
tered against you because of the single con-
Guiding noun. For the recording angel is no
respector of persons Albany EOening Journal