Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1873-04-08
Fos THE NEWS.
SCANDAL-MONGERS.

evidence of ignorance and inGifferen
rearing. 1t is the worst evil that fiesf
is heir TO and like a malignant disease
is very contagious, sometimes chroni,
and again fatal, and often like a lepe
rous sore, breaks out when and WHERE
we least expect it. There is such {
rariety of scandal-mongers. such {
multiplicity of tattlers, that it is al.
most impossible to enumerate them
The queen of tattlers is the /" pump
that winks and mods and looks
knowingly until she has entirely ex
hausted every one she talks with, O
their whole store of information. good
bad and indifferent, she doesn't hesi
tate to drop slight intimations of hel
own imaginative creation, here and
there by way of encouragement to the
talker. She knows all the faults O
her neighbors, their husbands anc
children +" she's always sorry for pool
Mrs. Smith, over the way, whose bus
band "they do say'' drinks terribly and
treats his wife brutality" She's sorry
and takes particular pains to tell every.
body of the fact and its cause, with
many variations, She always repeats
what her " hired help" heard some
body else's servant say, with the most
important air and frequent assurances,
that she never knew JaEe to tell lie.
No ore ever had good servant, that
ever told lie, or was known to steal.
The "pump knows exactly when to
talk and when to listen. If there is a
very interesting piece of news on dock
ct that she has never heard of, she
winks and mods as though she knew
it by heart, but would not interrupt
the narrator. / do most heartily hate
this most contemplate of tattlers, for
l know that a sinister look, or know
ing wink, has been the cause of that
indefiable slander that, concealed poi
son, against which there Is no defence
nor opportunity to retract Or make
restitution.
Next on the list is the whited Sc
pulchren the pharisaical, hypocritical
old soul, the .'wolf in sleeps cloth
ingn that drinks thesymbol of Christ's
blood with one eye peeping over the
brim of the goblet, to see if that fiaun-
ting young widow Dobbins, has the
face to take the Lords Supper, and
them Jenkins two girls that's had so
much talk about them actually COM
muning with the "old soul" while he
is thanking God "he is not as other
men are" "God shall smite thee
thou whited sepulchre," thou treache-
rous old pretender.
The gad-hy" is next worthy of
mention, and tho detestable enough
when talking alone, yet comparatively
speaking is far from being the worst
kind of tattler. She's busybody-
with nothing to do-she buzzes here,
and there, and everywhere. Wheth
CT she's in palace or hovel is all the
same TO her, If there is q preference
it is for the hovel, however, as she can
sooner appease her appetite for little
eXtravigances and variations of per-
sonal bearing. She's loud talker and
always quotes from They say"
When questioned particularly she
does'ent exactly know who they"
implies, but she wouldn't have you
repeat what she says for the world.
Now, there's the McFaddins that
everybody talks about. She always
liked them well enough, but she had
her notions about people that always
set themselves up TO be bette than
some other folks. Tho she continual
ly assures one, that 4" the Lords knows
she would't do anybody barn." Of
which fact ! have many doubts and
misgivings.
There is the friendship Fabrica-
torn that doats on ''frabrications fUulr
and emalates such black and william
Gus filth, that we will drop him or her
from the list as TOO low to consider
worthy of discussion.
7 ! L.
never give ear TO idle tales, nor en-
courage tattling.". that is a proper plan
and is christian principal, but "wo-
mans curiosity" told in song and
story, is too much for the majority of
the fair sex, and goes as unbridled and
as unmanageble as young colt, for
the opposite sex will only say that
their spirit of inquisitiveness more re.
sembles the mule, persevering, en-
domitable, quiet, having very much
the appearance of wisdom, but "a
man may smile and smile, and be
william.
But in summing up the Scandal
mOngers, liked to have forgotten the
most i'm portapt in the list, that is, the
" clock" The regular No. /, eight
day, patent " reversible clock. All
you have to do after she is wound
upn is to give her touch and Off she
goes with string of information, that
would confuse a first class lawyer.
She never is nerveless. She sits at
her window and watches John Puffy
and Sally Flimsy f1irt on the opposite
po-ch. She has it exactly, they are
going to be married because he has
been there three times in one week.
and there goes that old maid, Jane
that's been trying to catch a
beau for twenty years actually holding
close confab with Araminta Smith the
of course something
is going to happen. Well, if there
amt Widow Miffy's boy with letter
going into young lawyer Dawk's of
flee, Would be guilty of writing a
note TO a man and my husband only
dead five months" and so on from
Day to day she CLEANS as faithfully as a
Ruth until she il ready TO commence
whereupon she dons her bon
net and little piece of work tfor she
never was known to he idle) and starts
for her most appreciative neighbors.
Who of us are without faults? Ad-
is good and words are spo-
Ken in season are like apples of gold
n pictures of silver" but this roar
ng lion +" of slander. :" seeking whom |
le may devour." This searcher of |
he foibles and faults of the young and |
houghtless. is dangerous and detes- |
able animal.
Youth is vanity, it is full of indis-
,retion, impulse and exuberanee of
pirit. Years of care and sorrow sub |
lue US, and almost blot out the remem-
france of days when We were young |
nd gay, days when fun and folly |
made the sum of life. When we
: took no thought of the morrow" and /
'ur vivacious spirits swelled up as
purely as the sparkling waters bubbles
rom the mountain spring. Only stop
u the weary march " aud look back
N those childhood days-the happiest
# our lives-and for the love OF God
pare the young people from cruel
candal of tattling old busy bodies.
7" In my minds eye," see a young
nd beautiful girl, bright, sparkling,
!opeful, confiding, loving. She starts
Z = II a r. 4 L |