Evening star., 1921-05-08

TINE Rambler is still on the sub
ject of Ripon Lodge. and you
are told this because you will
have no other means of know
ing it until you have read far
down this column or the next. 1t is
very important that a story be fin
ished when it has been begun That
is. il seems important to the story
teller. even though nobody else cares
a whoop a hurrah, a picayune or any
thing else that suggests itself to you
More important is it that the Ram
bier correct an error than that he
should hurry along the road to Ripon
Lodge. The Rambler makes mistakes
and when they are called to his at
tention he makes correction. If no
one notices the mistake he lets il
pass unc"rrcctcd. this being the Gus
tomary way of dealing with mistakes
Very few persons correct their own
mistakes without having them forced
upon their attention. and even then
they are apt to insist that it was not
mistake and will SIT up half the
night looking for references in the
dict onary. or some other little-used
book. to prove that they were right
But when the Rambler makes a mis-
take. and is found ont. h" lik"s 10 MT
the correction cheerfully; that is. he
likes to appear cheerful about 1t. al
though you must know that d human
beng who makes an admission of
error cheerfully is not common. The
mistake which the Rambler made was
perhaps not serious one. and he can
not charge himself with full respon-
sibilty for it. You understand that
when a man is confessing mistake
he tries to be as easy on himself as
possble and to shift the blame on
some one else The mistake was
really committed by another will
not say by another person-but by
one who was once person.
\rOU remember the aristocratic
ghcst who, or which. the Ramb
Ter talked with in his narrative OF
two or three Sundays ago? She seems
to have made the mistake, though
she was really not conscious of it.
Ghosts who make mistakes conscious
ly are few. The Ramblers mistake
was in quoting her, though he quoted
her accurately. She said. discussing
ghost who lived in a less exclusive
section of the cemetery, and who in
life had done her own houSework. Il
have also heard that her parents were
engaged in trade; that her father ran
merchant mill on Rock Creek or
Cabin John or Pimmit Run: that her
grandfather was d tOllgate keeper on
the Marlborough pike, and that her
great-grandfathe at one time had
something to do with a tavern on
the Leesburg turnpike. somewhere
between Difficult Run and Sugarland.
or il may have been between Sugar
la nd run and Goose creek. | have also
heard that her husband was engaged
in real estate. or journalism. or some
such humble calling. The lady takes
the air along this pebble path at mid
night, when the moon is shining, and
/ positively believe she makes her
own shrouds-at least. they look
homemade.
Tho mistake the Rambler made was in
casting a reflection On--or slurring-
persons who were in trade. 1t is rath-
er common error that is made by
aristocratic descendants whose an
cestors skinned their fellowmen 50
well as 10 relieve their children and
grandchildren from the need of using
their hands in trade and from the
necessity of having brains for any
other form of enterprise.
truly laments having made was called