Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-03-24
ga LITTLE NONSENSE NOW AND
THAN"
An l~nieresting Lsster. with Namea
slightly Changed.

'N~1Hlg Is lOO kOQu
aud contains too much % genuine humor
and human nature to De consigned to
the waste basket, The parties referred
to aud concerned cannot complain that
such use is made Of this vagrant piece
Of literature.
Miss JsEebel Ahab;
DEAR NIEcE-lR q letter to your cou.
ain Chloe IRON your respectable mother.
1t is written that you are suffering from
parabolism OF the vertebral column, Ike
a cat with its back up, because, lorsoolh,
in q moment OF innocent inadyertenca
and co0Hden isl freukneas, / remarked
to Chloe that " Aunt Eide" wrote tbs
best letter Of any in the family. Yeu
have taken this Idpsus lingue in high
dudgeon IS personally offensive, and are
decidedly bellicose. You should not
thus rend your " domestic eeclusion," as
father Josh would say. Be calm. Re-
member there is a difference of a few
days in the years Of yourself and Aust
Eide. You have time to grow. Con
tisue in the future as you have succeeded
in the past and you mey be somebody
yet. Nil d~esperandaml No doubt 30
your age Aunt Eide was no smarter than
you are now. And it you will apply
yourself, restrain your %pugnscity, a 1
let the boys alone, you will be as vie
and WELD a pen as facile as aunt Eide ct
her age. So you perceive my remark,
properly understood, was not designed to
disparage your epistolary attainmen,s,
but rather made with the hope Of incit-
ing you to cultivate your scribeadi tai
ents by oftener reminding your patri-
archal uncle of the state of your hygiene,
and your past history, present coquet.
tings, and your future intentions and as
p%irations. And be now gives you full
license to DIR your mind freely touch
ing these matters. and all else You
may know, or don't know. Thus
untrammelled, it is hoped you'll
make more frequent displays OF your
knowledge and OF your-ignorance. No
ofense intended by that last word, for
you know from association With your
venerable Aunt Charity that, however
prudent one may be, foolish acts ara
more frequent than wise deeds. There
is compensation aud comfort, however,
in the philosophers sapient aphorism:
" knowledge is power; ignorance is
bliss" What better, then, could l wish
you than that SampsOniaR felicity that
comes of knowledge OF good aud igno.
rance Of evil. So mote it be. But g
truce to badinGge, and the Introduction
Of something more nearly within the
range Of your mental calibre, namely,
an item OF two in daily life of youS
Cousin Chloe Moray. She is thus re.
christened because SO great and patient
a sufferer. She has of late been thrice
wounded and sorely grieved. First
last week we visited the Gabagay family.
After introduction and q brief scrutiny
tae uniyocal acclaim was: "M,ss Nor
ray, you are so like your Aunt Charity"
This was q lamentable faux pas, and
doubly cruel, making bad blood between
niece aud aunt las each thought herself
the better looking), and also offending
both with their host and hostess.
Cause No. 2 of ChIee's sufferiags: A
new acquaintance remarked to her, 20
you are 80 much like widow Ester"
Since then she has desired greatly to see
one of two persons, either come one tell
her Mrs. Z. is beautiful, or to see Mrs. 4.
herself, clad in sweetest loneliness, sup
posing, Of course, that it was in this
particular gift the resemblance was so
readily traceable. Sac has realized her
hope beyond her expectations. First,
Chloe was informed by a friend OF Mrs.
e. that she is rather homely, but quite
intellectual. Strange as it may seem,
that intelligence was to Chloe quite az
hictiye, crushing. Recalling the c0uplet,
People differ in taste as in opinion
Some like an apple, some an onion"
Chloe consoled herself with the nope
that, seeing Mrs. E. herself, she would
discover q beauty hidden from eyes less
charitable. Well, last Sabbath at church,
| am grieved to say, she had the great
displeasure Of viewing Mrs. E. with her
own optics Her %countenance fell. She
came home a wiser, aud humber, and l
trust, better girl. The molecules OF
vanity have since been rapidly disinte-
grating, and now, meek as Moses aud
mute as the plucked p%eafowl, she wishes
she had been born blind and a widow.
Third-Cause Of Cbloe's suffering, and
this %sflicts US all: Aunt Eide has
written Chloe to come hotne-" her
month"; up"-just as though We had her
hired on trial, instead Of her bsiog on a
visit Of pleasure to herself and of enjoy
ment to US. Aunt Eide added, however,
to let her know when she is ready to
come" This promise to DO. Ia the
meantime, send Chloe the funds to re-
plenish her Saratoga, as she's inneed Of
fans, shoes, hats, gloves, hair.pins, etc,
; for summer wear. Also forward by ex-
press a couple Of Swiss dresses, a pattern
or two of pique, q filter, and everything
else she may think Chloe will need in
sultry weather-not forgetting a blue
glass" overall to heal wounded vanity
aud to take the eccentricities and lido.
syncracies out of her mental aud moral
economy. And we now extend Aunt
Eide a pressing invitation to p2rtake OF
our Fourth of July hos!ilities. Chloe
and all will give her a Darm reception.
After that date Chloe will be ready to
come"
Too exhausted, or I'd send love to
all. Your uncle, PAUL PRY.
Nota Bene: Read this to Chloe and
|, her aunt, who are sitting By. Chloe say s,
Whatever Memphis folks may Thick, ia
Rocktown oil say I'm like Aunt Sarah,
who is recognized by all as the beauty OF
the family
Aunt Charity says Systematically, | sup
pose intending il for you; Write what
you please, nobody Of any sense will
read all that nonsense.
That's pretty severn 30 me, tos buI
: you will recall my motto
. Honor to him who, piete and
brave,