The Arizona champion., 1883-11-17
LYING.

' age, now you're married and have got two children. There's Ann, now; she don't want anything said about her age, Of course it's because she aint married, and she don't want to be called an old maid; but can't see, for my part, what a woman wants to hid her age for, and think it's wicked to be keeping back the truth. It's deception, and decep- tion's lying; 1 don't know what else can be made of it-this brushing under your gray hair, and making believe by your looks and dress that you are younger than you are.
 Now l don't feel so, nor l never did. I ain't ashamed of my age, nor l never was. ain't deceitful.
 I don't like to say anything about MT. Jones' family; you know Pm very care ful about that; indeed, Tve always made it rule to say nothing against any of them; but it don't make any differ ence what say to you, because you'll never mention it. It's twenty years since l married Mir. Jones and came here. Ann was sixteen years old then, and that makes her thirty-six now, you see. So know just how old she is, and she can't help it. You'd laugh to see how I bring it out sometimes, before folks. like to do it, it does work her so; and it's just right for her, she's so deceitful.
 Strangers coming into the place wouldn't think she was more'n twenty five, she fixes herself up so, She's got gray hair, l know she has; but she combs and brushes and braids, and spends time enough with it every day to do half a washing; for know she does, though she's pretty sly about it; and tell her what think, too; but when it's all done you wouldn't mistrust there was a white hair in her head. No, she don't use hair dye; she cant afford the money; but as long as she takes SC much pains to tuck the white hair under, it's deception just as much, and that's what l go against.
 wonder If everybody beside me ever thought how much deception there is practised in this world I don't mean way off in.the islands of the sea, but right here, and among Christian peo- pie, too, who wouldn't tell lie for the world. Sometimes it fairly frightens me to think of it.
 There's Miss Plover, now; Deacon Plovers wife. She's got false teeth, l know she has; but she all the time pre- tends she hasn't. No, she don't exact ly say so; she won't say anything about it; but she acts as though she hadn't, and that's just the same as say ing so.
 At the social, the other night there was Mary Ann Jacobs showing her new teeth, and talking about them. Now she's an out-and-out plain-spoken wom- an; there ain't any deception about her. l set across the room from Miss Plover, but said to her, loud enough so that everybody could hear,-
 "Your teeth are pretty nice looking, Miss Plover; but they're natural of course."
 don't know whether anybody else noticed it but could see she was a good utdl NOTktu. tilOuSHl bllc u Dt Oblgcti to come out and tell the truth about it but she only said, as calm as could be-
 "Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Jones; you are flattering me, Pm afraid"
 Now the men and women sitting around would suppose from that speech that her teeth grew out of her own jaws, She deceived every one of 'em, you see. shouldn't wonder if she was a great deal older than she looks. She came from down East, you see, only a few years ago, so nobody here can tell just how old she is. was determined to know, so I asked her little boy, the other day, when l happened to over take him in the street; and he said he didn't know. Just think of teaching a child to lie; for of course his mother'd told him what to say; and children are taught that way all the time. There's more than ore tried to find out and