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Show A BESETTING SIN tjT AM sure in rry own mind thai Mr. Griggings is drinking," remarked re-marked the landlady In the tone of one who views with alarm. "A man doesn'l have such a red nose unless. he is consuming con-suming intoxicating liquors." "I have cautioned caution-ed you many times, Mrs Jiggers, Jig-gers, against jumping to conclusions, con-clusions, which la your besetting sin," said the star boarder. "Many reputations have been ruined by such remarks as yours. Any physician phy-sician will tell you it is posalbla to have a crimson beak and still be a teetotaler. I am not on Intimate terms with Mr. Griggins, although 1 call at his store now and then to purchase pur-chase some of his cigars, which are made of ensilage. He sells the worst smokes in this town, and should be rebuked re-buked for that, but I'd never tiuspect him of being an Inebriate. "He might become one if It happened hap-pened to rain gin some night, and he had a barrel under the rainspout, but so long as firewater costs money there isn't much danger of Mr. Griggins going astray. He is the most passionately passion-ately economical man I ever sa w. His respect for a penny is abnormal. A week or two ago I bought a cigar at his remnant counter, and was short one cent when 1 paid for it. I told him I'd pay the cent the next time I dropped in, and I fully intended to, but I forgot to drop in for several days. Curing that period, Mrs. Jiggers, I met him on the street several times, and he boned me for that cent, with tears in his eyes, at every encounter. A man of that character won't waste any money iu riotous living. Sou may paste that tn your Sunday bonnet, my dear Mrs. Jigggers, for your guidance when you are trying to size up the caliber of your friends and acquaintances. acquaint-ances. "I met Mr. Octagon on the street today to-day and he told me a moving tale Illustrating Illus-trating ttie unwisdom of Jumping to conclusions. The other evening when he stepped onto the front porch to see if the newspaper had come, he found a sample package of snuff, which had been left there by some Immoral distributor. dis-tributor. "Mr. Octagon had never taken a pinch of snuff in his life, and he was curious to know what the effects were. Curiosity, 1 may remark Incidentally, is another weakness responsible for much trouble and suffering, and 1 trust you will guard against It hereafter, Mrs. Jiggers. Il leads elderly landladies land-ladies to ransack the trunks of their boarders and read old letters which were not meant for alien eyes. The fact that you are blushing shows that you are not entirely calloused. "Well Mr. Octagon put the packet of snull In his vest pocket and sat around the fire until his wife left the room on some errand, and then he tore open the paper and inhaled a few grains of the stuff. He says he thought he would sneeze the top of his head off, and dislocate his ears. He whooped and kerchooed until you could have heard him hi If a mile away, and then his wife cai.'e rushing ia. " 'Ebenezer Octagon,' said she, 'you go to bed this minute or you'll be dowi: with pneumonia tomorrow. Don't sio-' to urgue 1 won't heur a word ' O.i with you !' "Octagon couldn't get in a word ;nd didn't want to very much, being ashamed to have his wif know he was experimenting with snuff; so he trundled trun-dled off to bed at seven o'clock in the evening, and his wife rubbed goost I grease all over his neck and chest ate! I piled fiO'J pounds of hlai.eis on bin.-, i and made him !ir;i;k three or fear L'al-j L'al-j ions of ynrb tea tint lastiil like i.h.3 j morning after the Fotir'.h of .Inly, an'.' he lay there sweating all nbiht, the most miserable man in town, all because be-cause his wife possessed the femh.ir.e weakness for jumping to conclusions. I 'So let us be on our guard against such men'al in'lrniitics. Mrs. Jiggers, j and -meanwhile I would suggest that you replenish the miple sirup pitcher. 1 These pancakes are too dry and dusty to eat without a lubricant." j |