Omaha daily bee., 1917-12-30
Comb Honey
Nv EDWARD BLACK.
Home Life of the Leffingwells.

Another day had passed into the
great vista of recorded time, and night,
with its darkness and strange voices.
was spreading a quiet influence over
the Leffingwell habitat and the wide,
wide world. Mrs. Lefingwell had
4 tried new application for renewing
thel brightness of her aluIninumware
and was counting against the day
when she would have enough coupons
saved to obtain a new apron. Letting
well was keeping himself awake by
| figuring how much Christmas had set
1 him back in monetary terms. Willie
was speculating how long the turkey
remnants would last, and whether it
would be safe and sane to approach
the governor for the price OF a movie
/ ticket. Mary, the paciist of the
Lefingwell conferees, was reading
George Eliot's The Mill on the
Floss" The outlook was promising
for a quiet domestic entente cordiale.
One. might have imagined Lefhngwelll
and his spouse sitting at the parlor
table, with a checker-board between
them, the radiance of a, shaded lamp
shedding benign glow over the
homogeneous ensemble, and only the
tick-tock of the clock to break the
| silence of the scene. But it was not
to be. To hidel his light from the
world for more. than a week at a time,
was more than Lefingwell's system
could stand. Heifelt that he was the
alpha and omega of his fneside and
must maintain the morale of his man
sion even at the risk of being con-
sidered persona non gratia.
Leffingwell looked over the group
as If getting a mental range before
launching his missiles of thought.
Mrs. Leffingwell sighed as if she was
about to have ali of her teeth ex-
ttacted and wished it was over. She
knew what was in the wind and felt
like a shorn lamb in gale. y
Did you ever stop to consider that
it makes a lot of difference how we
express ourselves? We may have the
best of intentions and our words may
just exactly fit, but cannot help to
mention, it makes difference how
we say it," began the oracle of the
Leflngwell legion. "The trouble with
us has been,' he continued, that we
have been given to loose talk and Our
words have not hit the mark. We have
not made our words count. Sometimes
we have been harsh in expressing our
selves and again we have been merely
careless in our talk. We should mean
what we say and say what we mean.
Words are jewels which should have
appropriate settings of thought.
Words wreathed with smile or soft
ened with pleasant tone will find
lodgment in the heart, while the same
words uttered in a raucous voice or
with cold expression will repel. There
must be ring of sincerity in our
words"
WAS that a ring of sincerity Mary
received for Christmas 7" mischieyous-
ly asked Willie.
Mary surveyed her bcringed finger
with renewed interest and elatien and
cast "a turtive glance toward her
brother, while Mrs. .@Leffingwell looked
at the clock. The Juvenile miscreant
Of the homestead failed to upset the
mental aplomb OF his dad.
. We should say it with a smile.
want the Lefingwells toybe known as.
conversationalists who can get hear
ing. Did You ever notice that the .
words OF some persons slide off like
near-beer from. 4 ducks back! We
should not be addicted to plethora
OF words and paacity Of thought.
We should cultivate meliRuous voice
and an earnest manner of expression"
Ma, get the dictionary-plcthora
paucity and melii1uous-all in one
Ill say dad knows a few
word" interrupted the growing mae
member OF the Leffingwell circle.
Iefingwell inhaled some more
oxygen and came back for anothe,
round: "And would remind nv
family that a soft answer turneti
away wrath. Remember what | said
that it makes a difference how we
say it, We may mean well, but if
we speak in harsh tones, we are lost
before we start Cut ont the per-
sifiage, sfolderol, badinage, invectives
and impressions. Let III
say Just what we, mean and say it
and then we will make OH,
words count =
Shall I take up the collection
dad" inquired Willie, noticing his
mother begin to stir as if she. toe
had some words which she wished to
throw at the master of the Letting
well cash register. &
- dislike to make you appear as
nlncer., of words! before your own
children, but the truth of the matter,
Henry LeffingWell, is that you have
been trothing at the mouth. again"
was the first thrust of the sultaha OF
he Leffing%ell trench. LeffinpweIl
'hlyered as if he had been scratched
The difference between you and, I
$ that, ] believe in action and YOU
believe in, words. You talk too
much, Henry, while | do things. And
when l do speak, / guess there is NO
ronble understanding what | say and
|, don't have to consult the family
exicographer. You are not the only
:harter member of the society for the
of useless words. One
would think, to hear you talk. that
,ou Spurred' every time you opened
your mouth, and that your words
we're honeyed sound waves borne on
zephyr. You just like to hear your- =
elf talk, while believe that actions
peak louder than words. l think
t is your bedtime, Henry"
Mary brought her ukulele and