St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-08-13
North DanVille. Vt.
False Coin.
dAE F. CANNON.

They had spent three summer
months together at the same hotel,
and had met a dozen times each day
in those innumerable contacts inevita-
BILE where many human creatures re
v0lve, even though IN different orbits,
in the same contracted circle of "a
primitive seaside resort they had
eaten three meals "A day on opposite
sides of the same table, had shared the
cheerful light OF double barrelled
students lamp when cold and tOggy
evenings drove eveTA one III doors,
and had occupied contiguous chairs on
the mOou-lit piazza when the clerk of
the weather sent fair evenings; they
had read New York daily paper of
similar political views and local
weekly containing bits of gossip about
mutual acquaintance, and had faced
one another at the usual morning
scrutiny of the thermometer but dur
ing the entire duration of these--to
both of them on many accounts-pleas
ant months had not enjoyed one idea
in common, had not once come into
mental sympathy, OF exchanged SIN
gle hearty greeting or earnest opinion
on the many topics which the busy
world even IN the dog days supplies
to recreating humanity. Nay, more,
being peculiarly silly, selfish, and
spoilrd woman, she had often grated
against his keen sensibilities and cul-
tivated tastes, had routed him ignO-
miniously, 10y her continuously VaPid
cackle, from his favorite reading cor
ner, and had disturbed his slunbers
and his studies by unreasonable pick
lug Oh IA banio-in word, had made
him as uncomfortable as "a clever
Christian man with good digestion and
AN atfeCtiOnate and cOngenlal personal
entOurdqe will allow himself to be made
by any outsider for whose eccentricities
and vulgaTities he is not responsible.
And yet, as they parted IN the hotel
hall, at the date when his vacation
ended, he couTteousIy shook her by
the hand, American fashion, and with
"A regretful tone of voice, which could
not fail tO he complimentary to the
most Indifferent woman, uttered these
words "Mrs.--, 1t has given me
great pleasure to make yOur acquaIn-
lance, and hope we may meet again
next summer" Those who heard, and
who knew how devOutly, not an hour
before, he had prayed ''we might he
spared the inhiction of that woman
another year." shuddeI ed, and wonder
ed whether cOnventiOnalities had be-
come merits credited to good breeding
rather than white lies tn he debited to
falsehood.
Such so-called ''pOlite" speeches are
scattered over our social life so thickly
that unless some startling incOngruity
between the unusually genuine char
acter of the person nttering them and
the falsity of the words attracts our
attention they pass without notice or
remark, and are received with the
same absence OF comment or even
silent criticism on the part of the hear
er who happens to have been admitted
behind the scenes and into the conf
dence of the speakers private opinion,
as false coin of good color and fair me-
tallic imitation passes amongst the
careless public for Uncle Sans good
"dOllar of our fathers" Bnt with this
difference, that whereas no honest
person palms off IL counterfeit coin,
many such do not hesitate to employ
false coinage of words and gestures in
the ordinary conventional intercourse
of social life. Aud furthermore, with
yet another and more vital difference
for whilst in the one case only n dollar
at most is lost, in the other it is Il
grave question whether some indenta-
ton and attritiOn of the fair and round
ed surface of character is not made by
this constant use and handling of true
and frank words, which should have
behind them solid meaning and deep
sentiment, in the service of false i'm
pressions and deceptive mien.
There is no need To be either demon
strative or rude in our customary be- !
haviOur aud intercourse with general |
acquaintances, but proper discretion |
and seli-respect demand that one
should scrupulously avoid being the !
former To persons who not Ouly do not |
attract, but positively repel us. Dis !
elimination is as much "a duty as kind |
ness and indeed there is no greater
uukindness in many cases than to APP |
pear To possess feeling which, when I
tested 10y some sudden change in rela- |
tions. is found to be of such light stuff |
as dreams are made of.
Women are, from some cause too |
deep perhaps for present discovery, |
more apt TO be sinners in this direction |
than men (mayhap because men are 1
more generally held accountable for |
words and actlOus), although the kiss |
of Judas-the false coin of affection /
offered 10y man as servlce-money for |
the coveted thirty pieces of siiver-has /
always been instanced as the extreme |
illustration of what falsity Is capable I
ia the use of signs of affection and |
brOtherly kindness but our discourse
is not of treason, only of thoughtless
deceit
There is AN old adage, Familiarity /
breeds contempt" which at the South
has been translated by some unknown |
Uucle Remus into ''ToO much freedery
breeds despiseTy,n and the same home
ly sense OF fitness should make us
feel thai We throw contempt
on and belittle genuine sentiment and
generous impulses when we allow their
tokens and symbols to become the con
veutional medium Of exchanges IN com
mon formal life.
IL always makes a Teyerent soul
shudder Ia see such prostitution of en-
and we contend that such
pinchbeck affection could not pass enr-
ut were due appreciation of the sd
Of the genuine coinage of the +;