The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-23

Ell at me Wnen Il lOlu
her l am no longer boy,
and she hasn't yet realized that
! am growing old. | go to the butch
er's and the bakers and the postof-
flee and dig the potatoes and hunt
up chickens and eggs and bring her
fresh roses every morning and look
after the little grand children while
she takes her evening nap. / have a
lot OF letters to answer every day, and
before | can finish one somebody
wants something done, and when
night comes | am as tired as an old
dray horse. We used to be rich. but
now we are as poor as Lazarus. But
still we put on airs and keep open
house just like we did before the war,
and our daily visitors have to be en-
tertained and | must help do it.
stranger came the other day while |
was working the rosebeds and had
charge of two little grand children
and my wife was mapping. He took
seat on a bench and said he came to
see me about lying-the sin of lying.
This alarmed me for a moment. Then
he said that | was the writer for the
press and had influence, and he want
ed me to help him reform the world
about lying. And he told me how the
politicians lied and the newspapers
lied and the merchants lied and made
their clerks to lie and deceive their
customers and how the lawyers lied
in the court house to deceive the jury,
and some of the preachers had got to
Wing and making up sensational
stories in the pulpit. lie was Wen
posted and quoted scripture and talked
in stream until ] got tired of his
distractions. Then he asked me if
lie or a deception was iustifiable UNI
der any circumstances. / replied that
there were some white lies or decep-
tiOns that | thought were admissible
under certain circumstances. He look
ed surprised and asked me to give him
an instance or example. well" said l,
"a woman called on my wife yesterday
while she was in the kitchen putting
up peach pickles. This old woman
was long setting hen and my wife
got very tired of her, and at last when
she rose to leave, my wife said: Cant
YOU sit longer? Why are you in
such hurry? Well, do call again
soon-I'm sorry you can't sit longer"
The stranger spoke abruptly and said:
your wife deceived her and did
wrong-she ought to have told her
that she was busy and must be eX-
cused. Don't you think 500" "Well,
now" said I, ''let me put another case.
You came here and found me hard at
work with my coat off and | had two
little children to watch, for my wife
told me not to let them get out of my
sight, and now they have gone, ! must
hunt them up, and I've nstened to
your distractions for half an hour
and all to no practical purpose, sup
pose l should say to you, Fried, you
will have to excuse me; / must look
after the children and work my gar
den, and | reckon you had better 60
What would YOU think of me and my
rudeness?" He looked surprised and
grieved and said: "Do YOU mean it,"
'No," said |, "and if l did. it would be
very impolite for me to tell YOU so. I
had rather tell a little white lie
hadn't you?' He was silent for a min
ute. and then said: well. | reckon
I had better go" and he babe me an
affectionate good by.
But let us not forget the orphans nor
the day. There is no lie about that.
Sometimes / feel like an orphan my
self and wish my father and mother
were here to comfort me. ] reckon
that is a sign of second childhood.
Now | have labor day of love be-
fore me, / shall compile that book OF
poems and / want help. Kind friends
have sent me 222 copies of the poem
/ asked for and it will please me and
help me to have the lovers of good,
pure poetic literature send to me the
titles of, say, five or more of their fav-
orites, and also the names of the au-
thors. Address Major Charles II.
Smith, Carterville, Ga.
BILL ARP.