The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-10-04


that all, T." said my wife, and she laugh
ed at me and said, ''Oh, you know 1
was just Joking. l know that you have
done the best you could. wouldn't
swap You off for anybody. Now go
and see if you can't climb that new
ladder you made yesterday and get
some squads for supper tonight.
There must be a dozen or more up
there, and the girls have invited com
pany to tea" Ladders and squabsl
Well, tried the new ladder. 1t is
fourteen feet long, and reaches up to
she gable end of the smokehouse,
where the pigeons live, and by the
time I got nearly within reach, L
didn't know whether my head was
swimming or the ladder careening,
and | just shut my eyes and slid down
with alacrity, like fireman, and like
to have had fit of nervous prostra-
ton, and my wife just laughed at me
when l told her l am the boy, and she
hasn't yet realized that I am growing
old
60 to the butchers and the bakers
and the postoffice and dig up the po-
tatoes and hunt up chickens and eggs
and bring her fresh roses every morn
ing and look after the little grand
children while she takes her evening.
nap. l have lot of letters to answer
every day, and before I can finish one
somebody wants something done, and
when night comes am as tired as an
al ,,col - L,o ,oh
but now we are nearly as poor as Lag
arus. But still we put on airs and
keep open house just like we did be-
fore the war, and our daily visitors
have to be entertained and must help
do it.
A stranger came the other day while
l was working the rosebeds and had
charge of two little grandchildren
and my wife was mapping. He took
seat on bench and said he came to
see me about lying-the sin Of lying.
This alarmed me for moment. Then
he said that 1 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 how the newspa-
pers lied and the merchants lied and
made their clerks 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
lying and making up sensational stories
in the pulpit.
He was we'll posted and quoted
scripture and talked in stream until
l got tired of his distractions. Then
he asked me if lie or deception was
justidable under any circumstances. l
replied that there were some white lies
or receptions that l thought were ad-
missible under certain circumstances.
He looked surprised and asked me to
give an instance or example. Well,
said I, 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 de-
ceived her and did wrong-she ought
to have told her that she was busy and
must be excused. Don't you think
so?" "Well. now," said I, "let
me put another case. You came
here and found me hard at work with
my coat off and I had two little chill
dren to watch. for my wife told me
not to let them get out of my sight,
and now they have gone, I must
hunt them up, and I've listened to your
distractions for half an hour and all to
no practical purpose, suppose l should
say to you, my friend, you will have to
excuse me; must look after the chill
dren and work my garden, and I
reckon you had better go. What would
you think of me and my deness?" He
looked surprised and grieved and said,
"Do you mean it?" NO." said l, land
if l did, it would be very impolite for
me to tell you so. I had rather tell
little white lie-hadn't you?" He was
silent for minute, and then said:
"Well, I reckon l had better CO." and
be babe me an affectionate goodby.
But let us not forget the orphans
nor the day. There is no lie about
that. Sometimes 1 feel like an orphan
myself and wish my father and mother
were here to comfort me. I reckon
that is sign of second childhood.
Now I have labor of love before
me. I 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 favorites, and also
the names of the authors. Address
Major Charles b. Smith, Gainesville,
GA. BILL ARP, in Atlanta Coustitu.
ton.
The art of advertising has a few
fixed rules. People read lads" not