The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-07-18

The Reporter Got Some New
Llghts on an Old Art

fore"
What pretty hands, murmured the
reporter soto voce, as he took his cup
Of tea from one Of them.
But as I was saying, though no
body has dared ask the question
don't mind telling you that put
Ananias up to fbbing because | want
ed the money for spring hat. Now,
don't go and put that in the paper,
will you? I'm not talking for publica-
ton, but simply to be obliging."
What do you think about the ethics
Of tibbing?" asked the reporter. you
see automatically I've been told
that you are the worlds greatest au-
thority on this subject, and / make
it a rule of life to go straight to head.
quarters for information"
Mrs. Sapphira shook a manicured
finger at him. 1t was a trick with her.
You flatterer," she bubbled There's
no getting ahead Of you reporters
What do you mean by ethics?' It's
such a stern word You mean, do
think it's wrong to tell a fib or do
circumstances ever justify it? 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 reprimanded for
had raison d'etre-you understand
French, of course-if ever a fib had.
but should never have told It,
assure you, If hadn't been awfully
hard up for a spring hat. OF course,
you can't always stop to think wheth
er there is a raison d'etre for a fib
before it slips out Of your mouth, but
IL you have a moment to consider,
why, think you ought to consider"
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 in as the obedient
servant delivered the message.
"A case in point" smiled Mrs. Sap
phira. She has the whitest teeth.
q hold that It is no fb for woman
to decline to be at home If she doesn't
choose to be at home. Besides, it is
so much kinder than to say she begs
to be excused. There always seems
to be something personal in begging
to be excused. To me it implies,
saw you from the window"
But this 'so-sorry-to-miss-you bust
ness, what do you think Of that?" de
manded the reporter, determined tc
get to the bottom Of things.
"Oh, social regrets don't amount t.
a brass farthing. They are expected
1T seems to me, then" began tht
reporter, thoughtfully, that in society
there's a code of lying that's perfectly
well understood"
Precisely" asserted the authority
on the subject TITS a sort Of appen
dix to the code of good manners
Everybody expects 1t and everybody
knows that fib under the circum
stances doesn't mean anything at all.
Let's eliminate the social fib, then.
the reporter began again, "and come
TO lies
"Oh, but not SO suddenly" mur
INJURED Mrs. Sapphira, warming up {
little to the subject. There ars
gradations. The social flb, the tara
diddle Gan embroidered tale), the id,
story, the whopper (this belongs tC
childhood), the lie indirect, the lie di
rect, and the malicious lie Yot
see, an authority must be tech
nical else she is no authority, anC
even now I am only giving you thu
various heads. OF course, under eacl
there are many side branches Of fib
bing which | need not go into. Q
them all the tarradiddle is the mos
interesting. To this class belonl
latchkey wit-told as ones origina
story; other peoples stories adoptel
by the teller as his own, tales that on
improves on each time one tells hsm
etc. Only those Of some imaginativ
powers can tell a successful tarradiC
die. The idle story, on the other hanC
just slips out before you know it. 70
didn't mean to tell it. You wonde
why on earth you ever told it. an
then you dismiss it from your min
as being not worth worrying ovei
The whopper is the kind that a smal
boy tells to escape punishment It i
usually detected, or he is told on b,
a truthful brother or sister who ar
not averse to seeing him get his JUS
dues.
Then there's the lie direct. We'll
10 be personal, this is not for PUT
lication, you know that is the kin,
/ told, and 1t didn't harm anybody bu
myself, so what was the use-but W,
needn't go into that now. The ma
licious lie is the only one that's absc
lutely inexeusable. You tell it witt
intent to hurt, to injure, and you leav,
it to work its own deadly poison
There, | believe that's all"
The reporter drew a long breath
Z say he said slowly, they ough
to offer you a chair in a woman's col
lege. / hadn't any idea there was 81
much to the good about lying"
Mercy! do | look like school
snorro 9p noutad Mre gannhiro I1a