The leader., 1898-01-19

81 sartinly do. Jason White kir
beat me, cause he wens to school seven
days longer than l did, but he's the
only critter l can't lie right outer his
butes in half sn hour. Why, sab, if
kin git that place, I'll turn up and be-
cum the biggest, slickest, all'tiredesi
liar in the known world"
"As 1 was sayin', yer lynn is agin
ye," says the stranger. Il love lial
myself, but Uncle Sam amt built that
way. The keeper of a lighthouse must
be truth-teller. That would be the
very fust thing demanded of him.
did hope to find a man in Squan Greek
fur the place, because it's to be
mighty nice position, but bein' We ar
all liars, guess I'll have to recommend
somebody from Brigantine."
That was a hard blow to Abraham
Benson, who had allus wanted to boss
lighthouse, and arter thinkin' things
over few minutes, he says:
"I've got my mind sot on that place
and I'll do most anythin' to git it. I'll
even stop lynn if yen promise me that
job"
kin We do it?" asks the stranger.
81 know l kin. Mebbe it will bring
on chills and fever, and put me in bed
fur a month or so, but I'll quit or die
tryin'."
The stranger thought it over fur
awhile, and then told Abraham to circu-
late around among the liars and give
out the news about the new lighthouse.
If 20 of the biggest liars in Squan
Creek would agree to confess to their
lyin' and then stop ii forever, he would
make his choice from among 'em. That
AFTERNOON was full of excitement. The
news got all over town, and II was
hard thing fur the liars to know jest
what to do. 1t was finally decided,
however, to take the stranger at his
word. After supper was all over about
80 of the awfullest liars OF squan
Creek goes up to the hotel in body
and Abraham Benson acts as spokes-
man, and says they have decided to
becum ruth-tellers forever more. That
seemed to please the stranger, and he
gathered 'em into the barroom and
says:
"The fust thing in order will be to
humble yerself fur yer past sins. lwant
each liar to acknowledge to all the
other liars that he has lied, and the
truth hasn't bin in his soul. Abraham
Benson will please lead of"
Abraham got up and folded his hands
and cast down his eyes and said ne had
lied about Holsters, sharks, whales.
crabs. clans, and almost everything
else. He had lied to his feller-men and
to his wife. He had even lied to his
vearlin' baby as he handled it on his
knee. The post office had bin robbed
and ne had lied when he said he had
seen the robbers, and hit one with a
Climb. He had lied when he said he had
seen a ghost in the graveyard-had
lied about the size of 'skeeters seen In
the marsh-had tried his best to outlie
all the other liars in the state OF New
Jersey.
Then Peleg Dawson got up with tears
in his eyes. He never thought the day
would cum when he would feel 1t his
dooty to stop lynn an turn to the truth,
but it had. He couldn't begin TO re-
member hundredth part Of the lies
he had told. He had lied about hot
weather, cold weather-the sea, the
land, the people. He had lied to his
grandmother at the age of 90, and once
he spent two hours trying TO make a
deaf man understand whopper. He
had gone along for IS years feelin proud
and happy. but now that his eyes had
bin opened he looked back on his rec
ord with horror. Peleg was cryin'
like child when he sot down. but the
stranger patted him on the back and
said that confession was good fur the
soul.
Al one after austhsr Of the crowd
stoed W 40 aekaowledatd TIE cara, u