Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-13
Il F1BLE.
BY r. Z. II. 7.
The Coffee-Cup and the Tea-Cup

The COffee.CuP and the Tea-Cup.
''Bow late they all are" said the Teacup.
'Here we have been standing more than an hou
and not sign OF them yet"
The Cofree.cup ratified with sympathy:
"Why people must always be late to breakfast
can't see; no matter what. is the hour, they
are little behind time; it seems so foolish. the
coffee must be stone cold low, and as for the
eggs, one might as well eat Jumps OF Ice
Never mind, said the Teacup, "they make
The tea on table, luckily, at least that Will be
hot.'
"Tea is well enough in its way" said the Cot
fee-cup, land II is natural that you should think
strong coffee it seems to me rather poor stun. -
II don't know what you mean by that" said
the Teacup quickly. l find coffee-drinkers
quite heavy people usually. Now. tea stimu-
'Heavyl" answered the Cofree-cup scornful-
y. Are French people heavy7 am sure they
"Well, yes, they drink it, admitted the Tea
cup; but not as we English people do. They
have tiny cups, and sip II after dinner with
breakfast coffee is chiefly milk-cate du lat. l
have Travelled, you KNOW" 49,
"That may all be-" said the Co1ee-cup "but
one thing notice about tea-it makes people
malicious? said the Teacup. "Pray ex-
plain"
what am going to say will seem rather rude
but whenever lot of people get together to
drink tea they always begin to gossip and to
SANDER their friends
The Teacup laughed.
ut isn't the tea; 1t goes deeper than that.
They. perhaps, get social over their teacups and
let their tongues go; but if the gossip were not
in their minds ready to come tea couldn't make
it."
"Well, it is a bad thing" said the Coffee-cup.
'.For my part, never could understand why
people like to talk about each other. Isn't there
anything else to amuse theIn?"
II don't know said the Teacup. 81 don't
think ladies' can have much else to talk about,
pISp they wouldn't
Oh. men gossip, too said the Coffee-cup,
land worse than ladies, think"
mo" said the Teacup; Il would like to think
so, for ladies are such pretty creatures; but
can't. Men talk enough about people. l don't
dispute that. Pretty coarse they are sometimes,
must admit; but they are not malicious; they
lie is - ScOundrel, or She is on-color,' or
He is muff pity, his wife is nice woman,
and that is the end Of it, generally. But ladies
ooit this way: Have you seen Mrs. L. lately? No?
Poor thing, suppose she feels rather quiet just
now. Why? Oh. well. family troubles? What
troubles? Oh. don't you know? Wen, don't say it
as coming from me, but am afraid our charming
little actress S. is making Mrs L. rather jealous
Impossible, did you say? Not at all, assure
you. have my information from the best au-
thority. All her diamonds are his gifts; superb,
tool Isn't 1t burning shame? Although do
Think Mrs. L. rather brought it on herself
you know she was very imprudent with that
Il &c until p191 MRS
gentle, insinuating, yet sorry sort of tone, that
one would think they felt deep grief, and all the
time they are gloat1ng over their bit Of news"
''What makes them do it," said the Coffee
cup; ''they must have bad heartS?"
''Not always said the Teacup; sit is often
habit, and sometimes good feeling is at the bot
tom OF 1t. One is interested in ones neighbor5,
ana so one thinks about them, and then ones
tongue runs away altogether. There is malice
in the world, of course, but believe gossip be-
gan because OF peoples curiosity or interest
even; SANDER came afterward."
but interest ought to make people kind not
malicious" said the Coffee-cup.
well, yes" said the Teacup, ''but 1t hap
pens in this way: Number one gets the story
right and says it kindly; number two is careless,
not unkind, and tells 1T differently; number
three has no interest in the matter and just
makes good story out OF it; number four hap
pens to dislike the people about whom the story
Is told and so makes 1t into SANDER. You see
only one OF the four is malicious, and this Is
often the case"
. '.You are a philosopher and have theories, -
said the Coffee-cup-.'but one thing know
tea does makes people talk-you prove it."
"Hush-here they come to breakfast said
the Teacup. NO company-the young ladies
have their hair in crimps; one can always
Iell-''-TINiLg. Press.