Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-30
TnEExtHANaE FIENDis WEE
Thanks the LEDGER and tx
plains the Workings Of
His Inside Lie.

His Inside Lie.
EDITOR LEDeER-From my heart
of hearts | desire to thank you for the
editorial in Saturdays issue on News
paper Fiends." Itrolled a stone from
nv heart as heavy as that which closed
the sepuleher OF our Savior. 1t salts
fed me that my dear husband has been
only laboring under a temporary men
tai hallucinalion, and vas not insane.
He is a poor man, a kind and loving
husband. a considerate parent, and
vithal a hard working man. Since
the late election, and Folks defalca.
ton, he has had a desire, almost
amounting to a mania, to keep posted
in State matters. He is not able to
buy the papers, and, it seems, has been
annoying you. | a pardon your
calling him a newspaper fiend, when
Irefeot upon the benefit your article
has conferred. After he exchanged
his new hat for the rusty old thing Of
your local, | noticed the change.
He could give no rational account
of where the change was made. He
smoke Of hotels, clubs and private din
ner parties that he had visited, and
where | knew he had never been. He
rushed out at meal time, when | made
the discovery, to go to the Peabody,
without getting his dinner, and came
back with a dozen of Faber pencils, a
roll of blank newspapers and halt
starved to death. He scribbled away
all evening. Next morning he came
in and told me TO get ready to go to
see Langtry; that the management
were going to give him complimentary
tickets. / irizzed my hair and fixed
up the best | could and went with him
and had the modification TO see him
pay the four dollars We had saved to
pay house rent, for miserable seats.
You can't conceive of the vagaries
of that man when he had that hat on.
de imagined hal carpenteriDg did
not pay and that to be local editor on
the LEDGER was the biggest thing in
lle world.
When the milk man came he in
sisted upon interviewing him. He
asked him what effect the city debt
would have upon the quality Of the
milk that he sold; if we had to pay it
dollar for dollar, if he would make it
more than half water and if Minor
Meriwether's proposition to repudi-
ate it passed il he could noe afford to
adulterate it only one-fourth. lie
even wanted to know if there was any
connection between watering stock and
watering milk.
He next tackled the butcher. HI
asked him whether the SOB settle
ment had enabled him to buy younger
and fatter beef cattle. Whether i
we had to settle on the Flippin com
promise, the supply of scalawag bee
he furnished would become exhausted
before the maturity of the bonds
Whether the term scalawag, as applied
to beef cattle was just the proper tern
to apply to the low tax crowd, O
which he, my husband, was an humbl
member.
He spent an entire day figuring upol
the city debt. Not how much W,
would have to pay under the Peters
compromise, at the end Of thirty years
but how much sand the groce
would have to put in his sugar; no,
much tallow would be required in
pound Of butter; how many rats in
tub Of mine meat, in order to pay tn
interest and support his family.
A friend Of mine came in from til
country with some eggs and chickens
and remained over night In order I
save a hotel bill. Whereupon m
husband wrote a whole lot Of tras
about a distinguished a%rriysl,'' 18th
beautiful and accomplished "the n
plus ultra OF the female race"
He had the ~unblushing efronter
to write a long article to prove tina
Langtry was water jointed and IN
calmly. He argued that if her lowe
limbs were as long and fanny as he
arms, that she must be horrid.
mentioned Freddie and the st. Lou
mans difficulty and he tore it up.
eBut the strongest fancy that he ha
was the Lway to settle debts. TIL
butcher came with his bill, but instea
Of paying the account he gave him
note for half of it, and actually e
mad because he would not take /
When our fish bill was presented b
Tanted to scale it, but the man sal
he sold scales and all and he woul
not deduct. My husband tod him /
60 and sue, that he would move int
the country before he would pay an
debt not scaled. The milk bill he in
sisted upon watering 66S cents. (W
drink Tiber water now. Mr.. Menke
kindly credited me for some clothe
for my children and my husban
said he was an old hog when the bi
came in; that he had mad
Menken by advertising an
putting him. | didn't know what
meant, but | know Mr.. Menken pai
him for building his stable. W. wei
just on the eve of sending him
Nashville where the Legislature is
session, when your valuable paper WI
received which explains all. I%carrit
the old hat home, and now have ii
dearest newspaper iend" in ii
world.
A LOVING WIFE.