The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-06
BY MARGARET E. sANGsTER.

| tCopyrfght, 1S0e- by Josepn aar, . Louise, who Is girl neishnor. ' Aav | into my living room the other I looking very forlorn. She flung her l self into a chair, the corners or ner mouth dropped and I saw that tears were not very far from her ,st.s l brown eyes. Louise has thoso oas l brown eyes fhat show soul so .Iue and loyal that 1t has in IL not @ | faintest possibility for decen. .s,, na 1 seen dogs with eyes that nave | that expression. ,s I Have you found out that your ooll l is stuffed with sawdust. or mas your | dearest friend picked up her Piay | things and gone home? You appsar ~ have met with some provoking oisap pointment. Did you not get on .ne promotion list after all your worM ma,i 1 Come, dear. pour out your trouo,e. me what has happened ata.as | can help you. I've been in haro piaoes myself. ,...,. .. Louise managed to smile httie as | she answered: "The trouble isn't one that you can cure. It IS Just tna. am such an idiot of girl, always say ing the wrong thing and making mis- takes and setting people agains. me | I have done it three times touas;
 have three times said the "rons 'h'ne' Il
 .srn the first place I met Mena car son on her way to school this morning; She was in very good spirits ana toiu me that she was sure she wouio nav A perfect recitation in geometry as she had worked out every proposi.,on correctly last evening. hao no'u,"s ., better to answer than: That Will pc chsnye for vou. know that your Cousin Tom Is visiting your hou'o' an" I suppose he helped you Now. that was the worst ana most insulting remark I could nave maue' for Mena is very dull in matnerpatics. and. as everybody knows her peopie at home are not particularly well cated. I called attention in a orea.n to her own stupidity and to the Ia' that she couldn't have made ner piepa a aration unless Tom Winthrop hao been there to help her. She left me abruptly, and she hasn't spoken to me since. Anyway, I was sincere.
 "Yes." Louise" I assured her, you wera sincere. but you were not tact full I fear that you did hurt your friends feelings quite reedlessy' uo on. dear. Let me hear the rest.
 At recess" said Louise Marjolis Dean asked me If liked the fasnion of har new frock. Without stopping to think, I told her frankly that the fashion was pretty enough TOT some people. It would suit a tall. sienuei giri like Nancy Kent, but 1t made Mar iorie look too dumpy and snort le was the truth. but Marjorie husneo up and said: You do say such horrlu things, Louise. No one knows wna' you win tell her when sne sSks ySp ay 2 civil question: Then she walked on and I know she does not like her frock so we'll as she did before. "AsA Aif this were not sufhcient, I.orise proceeded, T blundered again Miss Tilson, our teacher. askeo me whether I would have to go out Of my way to post letter for her, when l went home to luncheon. The postoI- flee is three blocks from our mouse In an opposite direction rom e
 school. SO | could not oblige my teach er without taking some extra teps. l hasitated A moment before I answered; q shaIi have to go a little out of the way. hut I shall not mind that; can hurry. and I will be happy to post vour letter, Never mind, said MISS TiIson, here comes Rose Elliot tnink she can oblige me without any moon venience. ex
 ,rst haamed. She seized upon that letter and bore 1t of in triumph, ana Miss Tilson looked after her as much as to say: There goes young girl who takes delight in doing favors TOT
 Louise sighed and wa. silent.
 ..rhs error you make. Louise." I said. after a pause lis a common one with young people. They lack sense of proportion You are naturally candid and open, and you have formed an ex- cellent habit of always telling the truth. I like your sincerity. even like your bluntness. and yet I must tell you very plainly that sincerity without tact Is often cruel and brutal, and sometimes unpardonable. Tact means touch.
 ."The tactful girl is very quick to un- derstand a situation. She knows how people feel without having their sen timents explained. She never goes out of her way to show her schoolmate as you did Mena, that you nave noticed how frequently she is deficient. In no circumstances does she venture 10 inform an acquaintance that her hat or her dress Is unbecoming, when the dress and hat have been bought and paid for. And she understands how to undertake a commission without act ually saying that 1t will put her to some inconvenience. This morning you had only to say to Mena, when she told you about the geometry:
 Dear Mendt HOW 6ldu ohht anu SON might have stopped your comment on Marjorie's frock at the point of ad- miration for the fashion. As for Miss Tilson you had merely to say: Why, of course; it will be pleasure to post your letter.
 one of our greatest perils is in this direction. We exdlt one virtue at the expense of another. 1 had a school mate who not only never made friends, but really made enemies through her determination never to say the least
 thing that was not altogether true. She carried her truth telling so far
 that she constantly involved other peo- pie in trouble by doing what has been regarded by school people as shock ing from the days of the Romans un-
 til now. She was a sort of tale-bear- CT, not because she wanted to be so,
 but because her conscience obliged her, to reveal everything she knew. wheth- CT it was her own affair or that of an- other"
 At this Louise sat up very straight.
 That girl" she said, was a goose.
 Everybody knows that telling tales is perfectly abominable."