Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-30
Evil Manners

They had some good manners and
customs in the old. old times. didn't
they? But there was the one We
laugh at today-the custom of kill
ing the bearer of bad news.
The man who ran into the kings
tbroneroom and told him that his
troops had met defeat never got an
other chance to tell a piece Of bad
news. The courier who brought the
letter with evil tidings never
couriered again after that letter was
read.
Primitive sor4 of idea. wasn't it?
And vet, why did the runners run so
very fasta Wasn't there bit of
malice in their speed?
Do you remember the time the
miller's barn caught at1re and his
mill burned down, and the miller
was telling a fine story at the old
settlers picnic. and you ran a mile
and half to tell him about it? You
wouldn't let anyone get ahead Of you
for anything in the world.
! The village red head was in the
race, and he almost won it. You felt
/ that you would strangle him within
/ your own fair hands before you'd let
! him get there first with his evil
| tidings. And yet you weren't ma
! licious usually, and you really had
| nothing against the miller.
Pleased, You Know ID.
He was a good man and fond OF
children, and he often gave you choc-
olates or ice-cream IL he met you
near the drug store in the village
! but then, he walked so straight and
| had such a fine opinion OF himself
and of his affairs, it would be rather
! interesting TO see his face fall when
you gasped out the news. Perhaps
I you didn't deserve a hanging, but |
/ never have blamed the miller for the
/ good, sturdy cuff he gave you on the
/ ear for bringing him his bad news.
When the girl you knew fell in
| love with the man you didn't know
and read your snatches of his letters
and showed you the poetry he wrote
| her. why we're you glad you were
! there the day the girl from that
mans town showed her engagement
ring at the luncheon, and the man
who gave il to her turned out to be
the man you didn't know who wrote
such charming poetry to the girl you
did know?
You liked the girl you knew and
YOU wished her we'll. You didn't want
( TO make her suffer, you would have
done a good deal to keep her from
suffering, but If she was going to
suffer you rather wanted to be there
10 see how she acted. And, further
more, IL took all you could do &c
keep from saying or at least looking
81 told you so.
why did you hand the paper tc
your friend with such an air of sub
dued triumph yesterday in the sub
way? Stocks were down, his par
ticular stock, and you knew it. fot
were sorry for him, but you wantet
him to know that you knew il.
wonder why.
When she made failure Of hel
marriage, the girl you've always
been so fond of. why did you want Il
write a letter to the girl who nevei
liked her, and tell her of il?
Because He Liked II.
The bearer of evil tidinss VIII.
must he run so fast?
We were talking over the trial OF {
celebrated case the other night, ;
group of us, mostly newspaper PEG
pie who had seen several celebrated
cases, and we all hated with a bite
and united hatred the prosecuting at
torney in this particular case.
And the reason we hated him was
mot because he asked unpleasan
questions, not because he put a won
an on the stand and grilled her un
lmercifully for hours; not because h
tore the veil from the life of broken
hearted wife; not because he showei
the defendant TO be what he was,
coward and liar and a thing be
lyond belief, but because--ile liked {
'do It. and showed that be Liked il,