The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-03-16

and on to good, his face always red
with anticipation, or purple with un-
foreseen disaster. Your sanguine man
is not properly balanced. In an UNI
dertaking requiring deep thought and
earnest preparation, he takes one-half
for granted and trusts to luck for the
accomplishment of the other.
THE INoUIsITIvE MAN
is worse than leper. He is sort OF
endless screw. He is like Victor
Hugo's Devil Fish, sucking your in
most thoughts, and the worst OF it Is
that he often gets more than he can
hold las was the case with Jacky
Horner after the absorption of his en-
tire Christmas pie). Therefore he is a
gossip. His very impudence in trying
to worm out the secrets of others
proves that honor is a stranger to his.
breast. When himself communicative,
he is doubly bore. His tongue is as
familiar as the diplomatist's with the
cheap expressions, in strict conf
dence," g upon my sacred honor, SIT"
etc., etc. He acquires wonderful
shrewdness in the art of pumping"
An army friend relates the. follow
ing experience ON an Upper Mississip-
pi boat: Being in uniform, and hav-
| ing on his cap the number of his regi-
ment, every individual stranger SEEM
ed to look upon him as sort of Rip
Van Wrinkle fossil of the volunteer
army, still wearing the military har-
ness in delightful ignorance that the
great war chariot had been long ago
sold for old iron. One enthusiastic
countryman, firing with patriotic ar
dor. exclaimed, 81 liked the army,
stranger, and wouldn't mind gitin' in
to it agin. Do you reckon I could do
it?" HNot the least doubt, provided
you are able bodied-plenty of re-
crliting offices in the country" Such
a Stub with most men would be quite
sufficient. Not so in this case, for the
tormentor replied innocently, "Oh, l
meant as an officer" A Chicago
drummer" introducing himself with
1 an invitation to " take drink (which
my friend declined, knowing that ten
times the worth of it would be pump
ed out of HIM, with a sort of knowing
| look asked:
/ twentieth Illinois I?
{" No sir" was the polite reply.
twentieth Minnesota
"No, SIR" more politely said.
"No? All! Twentieth New York 2"
"No, sir"
All that day the impertinent tour
list" seemed to regard him with puz-
zled look, as if thinking, +" I wonder
what State he does hail from, any
how?n
was much amused by a recent ar
ticle in the GALAXY on "One-Legged
Men," 1t must have been written by
an individual of that clsas-at least
the subject matter must have been
furnished by such a one. I know a
EARNED veteran of the war who,
being something of a wag, pretended
to be dumb when with strangers, and
carried small slate. Now and then,
to intensity the scene, he had the re-
manning hand in sling, improvised
with handkerchief. He used to say
he could build soldiers home, found
ling asylum and an old woman's hos
pital if the sympathy he had received
had a money value-even for two
cents on the dollar. Much of that sort
of sympathy, if it may be called so, is
maudlin and unreal. 1t is oftener idle
and impertinent curiosity. My soldier
often electrified the inquisitive by de-
scribing battles as the colored pictures
in shop windows portray them-fags,
horses, officers, men, cannon and ex-
ploding shells mingled in picturesque
confusion, while in the foreground the
great General sits upon an Arabian
steed standing upon his hind legs
and holds his sword aloft, for all the
world as if he knew some photograph
ic rascal had his instrument leveled
ON him at that precise second, or that
certain Congressional District of his
own State already had him in view as
their war candidate. How proudly,
how scornfully, he gazes at the enemy
advancing in myriads, and charging
bayonets almost under his nose. He
/ deies Death himself, and to prove it
wears a dress hat and epaulettes
(which, perhaps, never happened in
this country ON the battle field, unless
accidentally.
/ Inquisitiveness is the best proof OF
bad breeding. The inquisitiye man is
a human mosquito. His buzz is more
annoying than the bite. You may
brush him away but he returns from
another quarter. The only way is to
let him light whenever he will, and
then "squelch" him.
THE HONEST MAN!
All! simple Diogenes! Exchange
thy lantern for calcium light and
fortify thy fading vision with won
drous lenses that the type is ex-
tinct. God forbid! | can imagine no
conviction more satisfying to the hui,
man breast than that friend is near
in whose keeping ones honor, as well
as gold, is entirely safe. No Christian
is more secure of the Heavenly inner
itance than is an honest man, for he is
the very embodiment of Christianity