“I would,” sez I firmly, “I would, that is jest what they be, jest what you used this mornin’ and whipped Jack for this afternoon.”
“Society would break in pieces if it were not for the oil of these qualities, which I cannot exactly name——”
“I can,” sez I firmly; “I can name ’em.”
“If it were not for this to soften the friction of the machinery, society would break in pieces.”
“Then let it break into pieces,” sez I, “into a hundred pieces. But surely,” I sez, “there is such a thing as truth and frankness and simplicity and honor in the world, surely there are them that live their lives in a simple, honest way, not hidin’ or coverin’ up, nor pretendin’ to be what they are not, but jest go on from day to day and from year to year doin’ their best, not pretendin’ their best is any better than it is, and not pretendin’ that it is any worse (which is jest as wrong, though we don’t look at it in that light). Not awed by them above ’em in worldly wealth and station, thinkin’ how little one really can own in this life, not lookin’ down on them beneath ’em in worldly knowledge or wealth, thinkin’ how different God looks on different gifts from what we do, and thinkin’ mebby he counts wealth of heart more worthy than wealth of intellect. For that very reason havin’ no contempt for common people or common things, knowing’ well that what we call common He might call oncommon. The beggar mebby with his heart full of prophecy and hope beatin’ under his squalid rags, and the king like as not carryin’ his poor starved heart to a banquet with his royal robes trailin’ about him. We can’t see through these rags and robes always, and see what poverty or wealth they cover. So it is best to carry our heads and minds jest as straight and stiddy as we can, and doin’ our own duty we will have less time to either look up or down on our poor fellow mortals travelin’ along the road with us, we won’t have the time to pretend to like them when we don’t, to be overjoyed to see ’em when we hain’t, but will try to tell the truth with fear and tremblin’.”
Sez Tamer Ann, “Would you tell everybody right out blunt what you think of ’em?”
“No,” sez I firmly, “no, indeed! that would make the world too curious a place, that would make circuses and shows and curosities too common and frequent in our streets. Oh, no,” sez I, lookin’ pensively at Tamer Ann, who had begun to embroider agin fiercely, “I should hate to tell folks what I thought of ’em for even half an hour. And there is no need of it, everybody can mind their own bizness a good deal of the time, it don’t require much of any nack to keep your tongue between your teeth, and not tell what you think, to keep back things when it hain’t necessary to tell ’em.” Sez I reasonable, “It is hard to do oft times, but it is much better than to say a lot of things you don’t mean.”
Sez Tamer Ann, “Folks will git into places in this world where it is impossible to git out peaceable without wigglin’ round and deceivin’ a little.”
“There is always a open place above ’em,” sez I, “let ’em look for help there and they will git it, and,” sez I firmly, “I have always found that truth wuz the best to depend on in the long run even from a worldly point of view, to say nothin’ of right and wrong. It hain’t half so hard to keep kinder still and not talk a lot of trash you don’t mean, and at the same time it saves your breath to talk considerable about what you do like. And that I wuz always quite a case to do. I always seem to have to talk about folks and things that I like. The world is so full of beauty and goodness and glory, and power and grandeur and loveliness, you meet all the time folks so full of good qualities, things to admire and like, that it uses up my breath. I never seem to have any left to praise up things and folks I don’t like and look admirin’ at ’em, I don’t seem to have the time and breath even if I wanted to, which I don’t, Heaven knows.”
“Oh, well,” sez Tamer Ann, sithin’ deep, “it is so hard to know what to do, sometimes I think it is better to use a little deceit, if by doin’ so you can make folks feel agreeable, and make yourself and others happier.”