Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1900-11-20

ou run with the hare and hunt
with the hounds, don't Your a girl sa "a
20 me last week, and, mean as She was.
understood just how she thought 1t
was true. And yet l was only follow
ing out the dictates of my abnormal
conscience and trying to be Just.
Another girl last week asked me il
the powder on her face showed, and
when said yes she fairly hated me.
My conscience didn't allow me to say
no, and it never occurred to me until
long afterward that 1 might have
pleasantly brushed of the powder for
her which did show and left the pow
der which Didn't show alone without
taying anything at all Two days agJ
my brothers wife asked me what I
thought of her complexion. and be-
cause my conscience compelled me to
tell her the truth she went home with
out bidding me good night or speaking
to me again. She hasn't spoken to me
since, in fact. And things have gone
on after this fashion until am tired
OF it,
When Robert Elsmere' first came
out, it was point of conscience with
me not to read it. and every one called
me saint and 'prtg' until life was a
weary burden. y week or two ago
some of us were talking of it, and it oc-
Cured to me that it was a point of
conscience not to condemn thing un-
read. The consequence was that l suf-
fered tortures ON account of dislocated
religious principles for whole week.
Then it occurred TO me that it was a
point of conscience not to let anything
shake my faith or interfere with nv
religious stability. and that particular
conscience trouble gave way to an
other. l always have one or more on
hand, as you know"
l did know. never knew Olivia
when she didn't have whole sheaf of
such trials and tribulations on hand.
l was dying to hear all about the last
new conscience wrench, and she would
not come to the point. l did not dare
to hurry her for fear of never hearing
Of it ut all.
When my friends and relatives make
fun of Delsarte exercises or the new
est form of athletics, my relentless
conscience always impels me to try
these things personally, just so that L
can discuss them ntelligently and
without prejudice, In consequence Pm
seldom without backache or sprain-
ed muscle or something equally pleas
ant. Let a politician. private indi-
vidual n cause or anything else, for
that matter, become unpopular, and
my tyrannical conscience compels me
to champion it or him or them. AS a
result half the people know are con-
tinually writing me down as miser-
ably disputatious and disagreeable per-
SON"
Which was putting the matter entire
ly too strong. But then that's 0livla's
way. It's point of conscience with
her to make the worst of herself for
fear she should be untruthfully COM
plimentary
Its always been So" she moaned
now, beginning to sob little, but
now it's worse than ever. Now
''If you don't come out with It now, +"
broke in. unable to restrain my impa-
tience much longer, II shall go stark,
staring, raging. raying mad and either
kill you or myself. Now
"Now," said Olivia, breaking down
utterly and crying as though her heart
hOuld Dlttihf uOM GLiiIlGy llu I1dfIN'
have both proposed to me. They did II
n month ago. put them both on pro-
bation because 1 liked them both, and
it was point of conscience with me
to treat them both just alike and fairly,
although 1 can't help saying that 1
really like Harry little bit the better,
and now they both accuse me of fiirt-
ing, and neither of them will speak
to me at all. And it's all because my
unfortunate conscience won't let me
alone"
well, dearie. there's one recompense
anyhow" volunteered consolingIy
when / had comforted her by promis-
ing to set matters right with the one
she liked little bit the best" ''Peo-
pie can't help respecting any one who's
so intensely conscientious and so very
much in earnest about It as you are"
"Oh. don't know about that" re-
torted Olivia. reIapsing into a modified
condition OF gloominess again. 81
don't know about that at all. OF
course, the men who like you say that
sort OF thing to your face ry often.
but they're a great deal likely to cali
you n silly little priggish idiot behind
your back. and the girls one knows
don't even pretend to respect one.