WAYFARER--"Dear lady, it is the only profession I know in which a
gentleman can address a beautiful woman without an introduction."
William ---- was said to be the ugliest, though the most lovable, man in
Louisiana. On returning to the plantation after a short absence, his
brother said:
"Willie, I met in New Orleans a Mrs. Forrester who is a great admirer of
yours. She said, though, that it wasn't so much the brillancy of your
mental attainments as your marvelous physical and facial beauty which
charmed and delighted her."
"Edmund," cried William earnestly, "that is a wicked lie, but tell it to
me again!"
"You seem to be an able-bodied man. You ought to be strong enough to
work."
"I know, mum. And you seem to be beautiful enough to go on the stage,
but evidently you prefer the simple life."
After that speech he got a square meal and no reference to the woodpile.
O, that men's ears should be
To counsel deaf, but not to flattery!
--_Shakespeare_.