GIVING YOURSELF AWAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 29, 29 October 1918, Page 9

GIVING YOURSELF AWAY

HOW TRUTH WILL OUT

SOME QUAINT INSTANCES

You have often done it to yourself, often , done it to your dearest friend. This sometimes includes your-wife. The youthful and garrulous are specially guilty. That is what makes the talkative child a terror at table. Recently a parson was calling. Until mother was visible, the little daughter did the affable. ■ She; presented the parson with a white,., sugar-coated almond. "How beautifully white it is," he said, popping it. into'-his. mputh. "Yes,"- said the.donor/ "it'wa's pink once." Youthful, royalty enjoys no immunity. The Crown Prince of Sweden, was playins with .aV.tiny. mate.in! the .royal private apartments. :<The friend sat clown in the King's favourite • chair. "You mustn't--sit .there," raid ; the ■• "That's ■ where father sits;" The King entered just then, and solved the' , problem by sitting in his chair, arid ■ lifting'' the visitor on ' to his knee, "i'ou [ mustn't" sit there, either,", protested the Princo. "That's where mdther- sits." ■ ■' ■

The guilty are always liable to aive themselves away. At a picture show the , manager- announced that at the front'door there was a man who said his wife was' inside with another man:' He meant to ,shoot '_ that man,; To avert a tragedy the manager. said he would let.the man.in question but by tho back. • 'Nine men rose-arid hurried out by the back. ■•

The temptation to give away even our ' friends is sometimes . difficult •to resist. ' Professor Massori, 'of Melbourne, is the son of Professor David Masson, who long adorned the Literature Chair at Edinburgh. Old David was greatly beloved.. On one occasion he was summoned to London, and the assistant lectured from his chief's notes. At one point the lecturer paused. "There is a mnrginal note here," ho said, trying to decipher it. "Ah, I've got it. Tell joke here." As I do not know Professor Masson's joke we must all mourn the deprivation and pass on." : The students felt it was giving away "David" rather unkindly. Marie Corolli was once staying in the Scottish Highlands when Royalty was about. One day she wbb invited to lunch with Princess A. In her elation Miss Corelli sent out to , a number of newspapers the following note: "Will tho B-—: 'Advertiser' please give prominence {it. the fact that Miss Marie Corelli lunched on Thursday with Princess A?" The novelist meant the item to be served up as important news for tho public. Tho papers simply printed her note , verbatim. Miss Corelli was most indignant at her attempt at selfadvertisement being given away.

Newly married couples always give themselves away although they noyer will believe it.'". "Giving tho bride away" is a beautiful part of the marriage ceremony. the phraso sounds sinister. Married life is a prolonged process of giving away. It is tho one relationship in which human frailty can.CWi.be veiled. One man lost favour iwith his wife by playing _ a mean trick on her. He talked in his sleep. She chaflingly said, if he had any secrets from hor she wotild'lie awake at nights •and listen while he unconsciously revealed them.' Without falling asleep, but breathing heavily, and snoring occasionally, . he started to give, himself away.. He endearingly addressed some Woman, but not with his wifo's namo. He.; addressed. : .a. different .one evpry night' for 'several nights. His listening wife was on.tho Verge of a nervous breakdown wlion he varied the perform-, auoe with a shriek of laughter. She was huffy to him. for days after.

Husbands often accuse, wives,of giving them. away. A certain bishop tolls that while'.visiting' ono , parish in , his diocese he; proposed to stay at an hotel because ■ the vicar was poor and had many children. Tho vicar pleaded, so earnestly, however, that the bishop conRentod to stay at .the. vicarage. The vicar took him to his own room. There tho bishop changed his cassock. While struggljng to get it over his head, and with ■ his features entirely buried, '>e was surprised to hear the door open and to receive a vigorous elont on tho head. "Take that, tor asking that man to stay here," said 'an indignant voice which the concealed bishop recognised as that of the vicar's wife.

But probably men havo been saved by their ivives more often than given away. One parson was greatly pestered by tho visits of Mistf Brown,- a female parishioner. One day he saw her approach tho house,' so : he scurried into an. inner room while his.wife tool? the bore in hand. After a long time ho heard the.front door bang, and thought the coast was clear. He emerged with, the words, "Well, have you got rid of the rmidance at last?" "Oh,, yes," said his wife in _ a flash. "The nuisance is gone lone since, and this is dear Miss Drown, who has kindly come to see us." "Ah, "dear' Miss said the paraon, with evident joy.- But it was jo.V in possessing a wife who had so readily saved him from giving himself .away.- ...■..•."....■.• ... There is a moral value, a restraining influence, in the fact,that we can all f.o easily give ourselves away. A trifle will do' it. Your laugh, your cough, your footstep. ■ In a recent patriotic gathering there was an audience ■of nearly two thousand. A man blew his nose at the.rear of the top gallery during a.moment'of silence. 'That is my husband," said his wife, sitting in tbe area.' "1 didn!t-Jcno:w_.he-..was to be here."