The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-07-08
BROAD ASSERTIONS.
EXAGGERATED WORDS AND
PHRASES.
All Too Meaningless.

/ LILO AouOW1uS Cllpp0U 1IOm tuo DlD-
llcal Recorder credited to Christian
Neighbor, is pretty true picture OF
many boys and girls as well as young
men and young women:
"I,m almost dead ! It is as hot as
fire !; I've been more than dozen miles
after that colt"
Andrew threw himself at full length
on the lounge and wiped the perspira-
| ton from his forehead.
"Where did you go?" asked his IA
ther.
II went over to Briggs corner and
back by the bridge"
@That is less than mile and half
Is it SO very warm, Andy? It seems
quite cool here"
'No, not SO dreadful, I don't suppose
if I'D take it moderate, but I ran like
lightning and got heated up"
"You started about five O'Clock, my
son and now 1t lacks quarter OF six" :"
said his father, consulting his watch.
Eyes, sir, just three-quarters of an
hour" answered Andrew, innocently.
"Does it take lightning forty-fve
minutes to go mile and half?"
"I didn't exactly mean that, father,
but ran all the way because expect
ed the whole town would be here to-
night to see my new velocipede," ex-
planned Andrew, reluctantly.
"Whom did you expect, Andy?
What will you do with them all?"
"Jim, Eddy and Tom told me that
they'd be around after school, and
wouldn't wonder if Ike came too that's
ALL"
"The population of the town is five
thousand, and you expect three of
them we'll, as you are very sick, I am
glad no more are coming. You could
not play with them ali.'
'Sick !" cried Andrew, sprlnging to
his feet, "who says I am sick?"
"Why, Andrew, you said you were
almost dead doesn't that mean very
sick?"
"You're so particular, father about
my talking. I don't mean exactly
what I say, of course. wasn't nearly
dead, to be sure, but I did some tall
running you bet. There was more
than fifty dogs alter me, and I don't 60
much on dogs"
"Quite band of them. Where did
they all come from?"
"There was Mr.. Wheeler's sheep dog,
and Rush 3 store dog, and two or three
more, and they all made for me, and SO
ran as fast as could"
Give at the most are not fifty, An
dy."
"There looked to be fifty, anyway"
replied Andy, somewhat impatlently.
"Carter's ten acre lot was full of dogs
making for me, and guess you'd have
thought there were fifty If it had been
you"
sTen acres of dogs would be great
many thousands; have you an idea
how many?"
Andrew did not like to calculate, for
| it occurred to him what small space
ten or fifteen thousand sheep would oc-
cupy when camping, and ten acres of
dogs would be past calculation.
"But," his father continued, "I know
of no better way to break you OF the
foolish habit of exaggeration than to
tell the children the trouble you had
in going after the colt. You ran like
lightning, encountered ten acres OF
dogs which would be hundreds OF
thousands, travelled more than dozen
miles to get one and half miles in a
straight line, and expected to find FIVE
thousand people here to examine your
new velocipede and when you reached
home was nearly dead"
"Please, don't, father; the boys and
girls will all laugh themselves to death
and I won't exaggerate again If live to
be as old as Methuselah."
Laugh themselves to death at a
simple story like this hope not.
But it will rather set them to watching
their own manner OF telling stories, SO
as to be sure they do not greatly over
state things. Habit, my, son, grows
with years, and becomes, in time, so
deeply rooted that it will be impossible
for you, when you become man, to
relate plain, unvarnished facts. unless
you check the foolish habit you in
dulge in every day Of stretching simple
incidents into the most marvellous
tales"
Old People.