The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-03-17
The Ethics OF Conversation.

Fairly in the road, a man came and
sat down in front of me and turned
around and faced me:
''Cold. this mornin','i he said
] folded my Enquirer wherein | had
been enjoying Criswell, and tanned my
self with it vigorously a moment or two
before L replied Then l unbuttoned
my coat ("pIivate TO editors" it was
originally a three-button coat but the
of the season, the long ab-
sence from home, and the necessity OF
dropping something into the contribu-
ton basket every time | 90 to church
has reduced it to the minimum OF one,
wiped my frigid brow with my handker-
chief, and sad in panting tones:
"I don find II So.
The man looked astonished. But
presently he said
" Maybe you've beel ruuner?"
mo" Ireplied, II haye been asleep
for the past two hours, in a sleigh"
And ye didn't feel eold? the man
inquired,
"Manr' ! said. in tones of amaze
ment, . cold. on the 9Th OF June?''
''June?" he echoed. Strengthening
up, are you crazy? It's the 9Th of
january
Weil,'' said, sit felt like the 9th
of June to me-
''It's mighty fne sleighin', all the
same" the man said.
told him without a blush, that had
never seen the mud worse on Ohio
roads since 1 could remember
"Where on earth,' he asked, in
utter astonishment, ''did you come
from?"
Dayton" said.
His eyes began to creep out and look
at each other over the top OF his nose
When?" he asked.
This morning. said calmly, "since
eight o'clock
"How?" he fairly shouted
In a one-horse Sleigh | said.
"Sakes aliver' he shrieked, "it is
now, and Dayton is fitty-fve miles
awayr'
Couldn't help it," l insisted. 81
left there little over two hours ago in
a sleigh. had u poor horse. drove slow
ly, and the mud was up to the hubs OF
the wheels all the way. 1t was warm as
May and hadn't seen enough snow
to make one boy-slide in five thousand
miles"
The mans hair stood on end; and he
got up to start off for the other end oi
the car.
"If you amt crazy, and | believe you
be-" he said, with grave earnestneSs,
"yOu are an awful liar"
"Good man," | said, 81 expect am,
but | am not p fool. NAV tell startling
| lies but | do not talk like an ass, and
would be thought Il liar or q maniac
rather than an imbecile. | do not come
| into q car where the thermometer marks
| three degrees below zero, and tell 6
/ living, breathing, intelligent, sensitive
man that it is cold. just rs though L was
! imparting some information to him. 4,
| do not watch him drive up to the trair
| IN a Sleigh. spinning over the dry, wisr
/ snow, on the smooth, per ect pixies
/ of Ohio, and then attempt to in
| struct, amuse, or startle him by telling
him the sleighing is good. 1 would
rather astonish man than bore him
If [ have nothing better to tell hin
than something he knows already, fal
better than | do, my mouth is scaled
and | will never speak. In order to as
tonish him or startle him | may have tc
lie to him, but that is better than Dor
ing him. You might as well sit down
and tell me that twice two is four as tC
tell me that it is cold. You might a.
well tell me that George Washington il
dead, as to tell me the sleighing is good
Go away, good man. 90 to sleep. tel
you it is June, there is no snow; ther,
is dust and there are roses. 1t is tive
hundred miles from Dayton to Love
land, and | walked from the north poll
this morning. Go, get thee to nun
merry, and when you can model YOU
conversation on something beside tn,
United States Signal Service reports
come and wake me up and hold me il
the matchless charm of your instruct
i've talk. | know not what course 9th
ers may take, but as for me, gaul bias
the man who talks to me about tn
weather"
And straightwav the man ariz and 90
him unto the after wood-box, for he wa
sore astonished. And as | fell into
slumber the forgotten dreams of whic
contained more real. valuable nlorma
ton than that man ever did or eve
will know. heard him opening con
versation with the taciturn brakeman b
: remarking:
: "Cold this mornin' pr BuyIette's Lei
: ter 10 the Ha,0kcye.