The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-12-23


was caught by the fresh, clear voice of
a young girl saying "Mum's the word"
about WHAT" asked an older and
wearier woman's voice.
"Oh-everything," replied the girl
with a tinkling little laugh, and as if
the phrase tickled her fancy she repeat
ed it still more blithely. Eyes, NUNS
the word. That's the best rule of life !
know Of"
There's another that they use good
deal in the mining districts, said mans
voice, with little laugh, "and that's
Pay up or shut up Don't you think
that's better advice, Miss Lofty"
~ don't just see what it MEANS" re-
piled Lofty coquettishly.
"Why, if one fellow has done another
fellow an ugly turn-say got his money
at cards-and the first man thinks he
didn't play on the square,
"Oh, dear, l don't know anything
about such dreadful people," interposed
Lofty, and the older woman added,
"And hope you don't either, William"
"Course don't, mother, and of course
you DON'T" returned William, with
choked laugh struggling under his voice,
"only I've heard it, you see, and it seems
to me better rule to work by than just
to keep mum, no matter what anybody
does to you"
"But you didn't finish explaining what
It MEANS" interposed Lofty. Suppose
one of these horrid men cheats another
horrid man at cards, for suppose that's
what you mean?'
"That's about the size Of it, Miss
Lofty" replied William cheerily. "Well,
then, you see the fellow that comes to
grief feels mad and wants to pay up
"Why, he's got to pay up if he's lost
the money, hasn't he?"
"Oh, we'll, it doesn't mean that kind Of
paying up. If the other fellow carried
a couple of aces up his sleeve, why you
want to pay him up for cheating, don't
your
want to be revenged on him?"
"Well, if you put it that way. Any
how, if he's plucky fellow he'll go for
him-fists or six shooter or bowie, some
how or other-and pay him up for being
such sneak, don't you see? But if he
isn't plucby, and feels as if the other
one had got heavier fists, or quicker
aim, or handler knife, he sort of crawls
away and goes around scolding and
snarling and blowing"
civilian, what sort of associates have
you been among in the westf" put in the
mother in tone of dismay. But Lofty,
with her little, tinkling laugh, suggested:
$50, then, the other man tells him if
he hasn't the courage to pay up his
grudge he had better shut up and not
talk about it. Is that it?''
Eyes, Miss Lofty; that's just it, and l
think it's pretty good advice, isn't it? If
somebody's done you mean turn. why,
pay him up for 1t. And II you can't pay
it up, why, shut up till you can, but
don't take it ont in swearing"
The cars stopped, and when they went
on the voices had ceased. Evidently my
friends had got off, and never had seen
them but the net result of the little
overheard discussion crystallized in my
mind into the question:
Is it better to pay up or shut up, or is
"Mum's the word" the better rule of
life-better than either to pay up or
shut up?
All aof us, especially women, have
plenty to complain of as we go through
the world. Ishmaels children, whose
hands were against every man and
every mans hands against them, are
never hard to find; indeed it sometimes
seems as if, more or less disguised, they
pervaded society in all its grades and
all it's relations and were impossible to
avoid, even though the exterior seems
to promise better things.
Sometimes indeed wOman's foes
are those of her own household, and be-
hind the closed doors of what to the
world seems a happy home system
of persecution or of struggle is carried
on which nobody suspects, unless in
deed the victim, finding it impossible to
"shut up" any longer, desperately re-
solves to "pay up" by exposing her ty-
rant to the vengeance of the public.
Do you doubt the existence of these
silent sufferers?
If so you are not one of those persons
endowed, to their own misfortune, with
what is known as a sympathetic nature,
persons to whom everybody tells their
story almost at sight, often ending it
with some such remark as this:
81 don't know why l have told you all
this. have never spoken of it outside
of my own home to a living creature.
But there is something about you that
seems to open my heart and assure me
that may place confidence both IN Jour
sympathy and your discretion"
OF course one can but assure these
poor wounded ones of both the sympathy
and the discretion, and finish by admin
istering such advice or comfort as sug-
gests itself, though often with dreary
sense that neither the one nor the other
will do any real good.
Still the telling of the story does seem
to do good TO such persons, and often
enough they finish the interview by
avowing that they feel happier than