The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-07-03

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Nov don't be uverbold, young
man, ~ said Mrs Sapphire, shaking
her finger at the reporter. Nobody
has ever dared ask me that question
before"
What pretty hands" murmured
the reporter, soto voce, as he took
his cup Of tea from one Of them.
But, as ! was saying, though no.
body has dared ask the question,
! don't mind telling you that put
Ananias up to fibbing because I
wanted the money for spring hat.
Now, don't go and put that in the
paper will you? I'm not talking for
publication, but simply to be oblig-
ing
What do you think about the
ethics of iibbing?" asked the reporter.
You see automatically I've been
told that You are the worlds great
est authority on this subject, and
make il rule Of life to go straight
to headquarters for information.
Mrs. Sapphire shook manicured
finger at him. 1t was a trick with
her. You fiatterer. she dubbed.
There's no getting ahead of you re-
porters. What do YOU mean by eth
ics?' It's such a stern word. You
mean, do think it's wrong to tell
NIB, or do circumstances ever Justify
itg Why, of course, think it's wrong
TO tell perfectly useless fib, one that
doesn't do anything for anybody.
Now, the one was so severely repri-
manded for had a raison detre-you
understand French, of course-if ever
a fib had, but should never have
told 1t, | assure you, III / hadn't been
awfully hard up for a spring hat. OF
course. YOU can't always stop to think
whether there is raison d'etre for a
fib before it slips out of your mouth,
but II YOU have a moment to consid-
er, why, think YOU ought to consid-
CT. Have another cup? Dol"
Thanks, said the reporter. "0nly
one lump this time and no cream.
Then, TO go back, you don't think the
social lie Is iustihable?"
Ibid say 500" murmured Mrs.
Sapphire, her hands luttering like
white butterflies among the tea
things.
A ring at the bell startled her.
''Say | am not at home, Jane, she
beckoned to the maid who went to
the door.
$50 sorry to miss her, was the re-
ply that was waited ih as the ODE
dent servant delivered the message.
"A case in point, smiled Mrs. Sap
phira. She had the whitest teeth.
Il hold that it is no fib for wom-
an to decline TO be at home if she
doesn't choose TO be at home. Be-
sides, il is so much kinder than to
say she begs to be excused. There
always seems to be something per-
sonal in begging to be excused, To
me it implies, / saw you from the
window
But this 'so-sorry-to-miss YOU
business. what do YOU think of that?"
demanded the reporter. determined
10 get to the boetom o. things.
"Oh, social regrets don't amount to
brass farthing. They are expected.
No one thinks anything OF them, ;"
smiled Mrs Sapphire over her kettle.
1T seems to me. then. began the
reporter thoughtfully, that in So
ciety there's a code of lying that's
perfectly well understood
Certainly, assented the authority
ON the subject. It's a sort Of appen-
dix to the code Of good manners.
Everybody expects it and everybody
knows that a fb under the circum-
stances doesn'tmean anything at all. .
Lets eliminate the social fib,
then, the reporter began again. and
come to lies
ooh, but not so suddenly" MUIR
INJURED Mrs. Sapphira, warming up a
little to the subject. There are gra-
datiuns. The social fb, the tarradid-
die Can embroidered talel, the idle
story. the whopper (this belongs to
childhocd), the lie indirect. the lie
direct and the malicious lie. You