164 PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK 



land, to any great extent, of water contained in it, but acts 

 as a preventive, by carrying off the rain and snow before 

 they are absorbed. 



O DEAR! SHALL WE EVER BE DONE LYING P 



AN honest old gentleman, in telling us his troubles, gave 

 great prominence to the necessity he was frequently under 

 of disappointing his customers, whose work could not be 

 finished as soon as he had promised. After explaining the 

 difficulty, he looked up with great earnestness, and ex 

 claimed, &quot; dear ! shall we ever be done with this lying ?&quot; 



We have often wondered ourselves whether such a con 

 summation would ever take place. &quot; Your boots shall be 

 done on Saturday night without fail.&quot; Nevertheless, you 

 have to go to church with gaping shoes for want of them. 

 &quot; Your coat shall be sent home by nine o clock on Satur 

 day night ;&quot; and you get it, in fact, the Wednesday after. 

 &quot; Will you lend me your wheel-barrow ? I will return it to 

 night.&quot; You wait for it till next week, and then send for 

 it. My carpenter solemnly agreed to finish my house by 

 November; but it was July before I could get the key. 

 My wood was to be split on Saturday afternoon enough 

 for the Sabbath ; so it was but I had to do it. My 

 money was to be paid me the next week ; and then, next 

 week ; and then, NEXT week and then, as soon as he 

 could get it ; he did get it and spent it ; and then it should 

 be paid when he got it again he got it again, and paid 

 another debt because the man treated him more savagely 

 than I would. The strength laid out in running for this 

 money, if it had been economically applied to labor, would, 

 nearly, have earned the whole debt. The fellow never paid 

 me at last ; but Death came along, and he paid him 



