The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-10-11
the fire and cook the breakfast ana

waking ou-and-and-and-
l made you marble chip walk to the
street for your No. shoes to walk ON 2"
rs that all?" said my wife, and she
laughed at me and said: "Oh, you
know was just joking. / know that
you have done the best you could. I
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
ioe - and tbs girls have invited COM
pany to tea" }
Ladders and squads! Well, I tried
the new ladder. 1t is IA feet long and
reaches up to the 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 a fireman, and liked
to have had fit of nervous prostna-
ton, and my wife just laughed at me
when l told her l am the boy, and She
hasn't yet realized that l am growing
old. [ go to the butchers and the
bakers and the post office and dig the
potatoes and hunt up chickens and
eggs and bring her fresh roses every
children while she takes her evening
nap. l have lot of letters to answer
every day, and before l can finish one
somebody wants something done, and
when night comes l 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 l must help do it.
A stranger came the other day while
was working the rose beds and had
had charge of two little grandchildren
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 wanted me to
help him reform the world about ly-
ing. 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 courthouse
to deceive the jury, and some of the
preachers had got to lying and making
up sensational stories in the pulpit. He
was well posted and quoted Scripture
and talked in a stream until l got tired
of his distractions. Then he asked me
if lie or a deception was justifiable
under any circumstances. | replied
that there were some white lies or de-
ceptions that ! thought were admissi-
bic under certain circumstances. He
looked surprised and asked me to give
him an instance or example. Well"
said I. "a woman called on my wife yes
terday while she was in the kitchen
putting up peach pickles. This old
woman was a long-setting hen and my
wife got very tired of her, and at last
when she rose to leave my wife said:1
Can't 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 excused. Don't
you think SOP" "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. must hunt them
up, and I've listened to your abstrac-
tons for half an hour, and all to no
practical purpose. Suppose I should
say to you: My friend, you will have
TO excuse me; / must look after the
and work my garden, and
reckon you had better 60 What would
-ou think of me and my rudeness|
lie looked surprised and grieved. and
said: "Do you mean it?' NO" said
I. land if did it would be very impo-
lite for me to tell you so. / had rather
ell little white lie-hadn't you?" He
vas silent for minute and then said:
We'll. l reckon l had better 60" and
lie babe me an affectiopate good-by.
But let us not forget tae orphans or
he day. There is no r. about that.
sometimes feel like an orphan myself
md wish my father and mother were
lere to comfort me. reckon that is a
ign of second childhood.
Now have labor of love before me.
shall complete that book of poems,
md l want help. Kind friends have
ent me 900 copies of the poem l asked