The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-03
A WHITE LIE.


AWHfTE LIE.
There are different colors and degrees
Of ialsehood, just as there are different
colors and degrees Of other sins. There
is, blackest Of all, the malevolent hypo-
critic and slanderer, who can twist truth
into falsehood, and falsehood into
seeming truth. And then there is the
downright Liar, who falsifes on pur-
pose to deceive. There is another
downright Liar not quito so bad-he
falsifes from a love Of the marvellous,
and q burning desire TO appear what he
is not. Some people lie because It is
their disposition to deceive. Others
lie because they lack the courage to
tell the truth. And, there are other
lies-sometimes called White Lies
which are mere lies Of convenience. In
their utterance there is no evil intent.
They are told Just as n man whisks an
impediment from his path with his
walking.stick. They are told to save
tronble OF explanation; or, perhaps, TO
avoid reprimand. At first q lie Of this
kind may not seem a very sinful thing
but unfortunately for the misguided
: mortal who entertains the petty sin, it
Is one that does not improve upon 40.
quaintance. Like many another evil
which might be mentioned, II is likely
to grow TO alarming proportions and
consequences. There Is one safe
ground-and only one: Truth-Abso-
lutte Truth-undor every circumstance
and on all occasions. 1s0
Sarah Powers believed herself to be
truthful girl. She had not tho dis
position to willingly deceive. Had it
been plainly intimated to her that she
was o Liar she would have been shocked
beyond measure; and yet her rule OF
life in this respect was not pure and un.
swerving, as we shall see.
"Sarah," said Mrs. Powers, coming
into the room one winter morning,
where her daughter sat, "did you see
anything Of a twenty.dollar billion the
mantel.shelf last evening ?" Her voice
and manner showed that she was un-
pleasantly exercised.
"a twenty.dollar bill?' repeated
Sarah, with open eyes. "No."
You didn't SEQ anything that look.
= Like III s+s : twenty dollar bins Ger
tainly not .,..s.,
room, on the shelf and I know that l
set the large glass lamp down on IT. so
that IL should not blow away. Iiorgot
all about It until this morning. Oh, /
must not lose IT," al
"But, mother, twenty dollars isnot
such a large sum-
Ordinarily, no, my child but Just
now it is considerable. Your fathers
accounts do not balance SO fayorably
this season as he had anticipated. In
fact, Sarah, he cannot possibly spare me
any more II he is to rect his bank.pa.
per. Where can that bill have gone TO 7
And I promised Mrs. Judlins ten dol.
lars today. Do you think II could
possibly have got knocked offand blown
away p
We may as well remark Just here,
that Sarah Powers had been lying.
Falsehood was not certainly in the heart
Of the young and sunny.faced girl but
her tongue had spoken it. The facts
were simply these: g
On the previous evening Robert Yea.
zie had called to visit Sarah. (Robert
was d clerk in the store Of Powers 4
Dunbar, and was Sarah's accepted
lover. He had displayed qualities Of
head and heart which had recommend.
ed him TO the favorable consideration OF
her parents, and though lie was poor,
vet lie had business tact and energy.
II was understood by the careful father
that there should be no formal engage.
ment at presently Sarah remembered
that she and Robert had sat together
upon the sofa and looked over on illus,
trnted MAGAZINE. While thus occupied
IL had occurred to her that they could
see better II the large lamp, which
stood in the middle OF the shelf, were
moved ont to the end aud she arose to
doik Upon lifting the lamp she saw,a
piece OF paper whirl outand circle down
until II WIS drawn into the ire OF the
CRATE directly beneath. ,, ,,
Hwhat was that? asked Robert, VINO
had seen the whirling paper. /,
AT don't know, I'm sure. IT'S burned
up. Whatever itwas, p answered Sarah.
She saw the charred, tinder.like frag;
ments whisked mp by the draft, and
then she added" guess IL was moth
ing Of Importance. 1t wouldn't have
been there II II had been"
And after, this. she resumed her seat,
Now Sarah remembered all this very
well and, in truth, the question Of he,
mother Ind startled her but she had
moi seen a twenty.dollar bill. She knew
nothing about any such bill. We can
imapine Inc nmoint Of mental reserya'
ton employed in this decision. aeI
a. s,,,isa ,,,nv IN avnii a 1isaQreeable