Mr. and Mrs. Woodbridge with other tales, representing life as it is and intended to show what it should be |
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THE SOFT ANSWER. |
 | Mr. and Mrs. Woodbridge |  |
THE SOFT ANSWER.
BY T. S. ARTHUR.
“I'll give him law to his heart's content, the
scoundrel!” said Mr. Singleton, walking backwards
and forwards, in a state of angry excitement.
“Don't call harsh names, Mr. Singleton,” said
Lawyer Trueman, looking up from the mass of
papers before him, and smiling, in a quiet, benevolent
way, that was peculiar to him.
“Every man should be known by his true name.
Williams is a scoundrel, and so he ought to be
called!” responded the client, with increasing
warmth.
“Did you ever do a reasonable thing in your
life, when you were angry?” asked Mr. Trueman
whose age and respectability gave him the license
to speak thus freely to his young friend, for whom
he was endeavoring to arrange some business
difficulty with a former partner.
“I can't say that I ever did, Mr. Trueman.—
the language I use in reference to Williams is but
the expression of a sober and rational conviction,”
replied Singleton, a little more calmly.
“Did you not pronounce him a scoundrel before
you received his reply to your last letter,” asked
Mr. Trueman.
“No, I did not. But that letter confirmed my
previously formed impression of his character.”
“But I cannot find in that letter any evidence
proving your late partner to be a dishonest man.
He will not agree to your proposed mode of settlement,
because he does not see it to be the most
proper way.”
“He won't agree to it, because it is an honest
and equitable method of settlement, that is all!
He wants to over-reach me, and is determined to
do so if he can!” responded Mr. Singleton, still
excited.
“There you are decidely wrong,” said the
lawyer. “You have both allowed yourselves to
become angry, and are both unreasonable, and, if
I must speak plainly, I think you the most unreasonable,
in the present case. Two angry men
can never settle any business properly. You have
very unnecessarily increased the difficulties in the
way of a speedy settlement, by writing Mr. Williams
an angry letter which he has responded to
this business for you, I must write all letters that
pass to Mr. Williams in future.”
“But how can you properly express my views
and feelings?”
“That I do not wish to do, if your views and
feelings are to remain as they now are, for any
thing like adjustment of the difficulties under
such circumstances, I should consider hopeless,”
replied Mr. Trueman.
“Well, let me answer this letter, and after
that, I promise that you shall have your own
way.”
“No, I shall consent to no such thing. It is
the reply to that letter which is to modify the negotiation
for a settlement in such a way as to
bring success or failure; and I have no idea of allowing
you, in the present state of your mind, to
write such a one as will most assuredly defeat an
amicable arrangement.”
Singleton paused for some time, before making
a reply. He had been forming in his mind a most
cutting and bitter rejoinder to the letter just alluded
to, and he was very desirous that Mr. Williams
should have the benefit of knowing that he
thought him a “tricky and deliberate scoundrel,”
with other opinions of a similar character. He
found it, therefore, impossible to make up his
write this most important epistle.
“Indeed I must write this letter, Mr. Trueman,”
he said,” “There are some things that I
want to say to him, that I know you won't write.
You don't seem to consider the position in which
he has placed me by that letter, nor what is obligatory
upon me as a man of honor. I never allow
any man to reflect upon me, directly of indirectly,
without a prompt response.”
“There is, in the Bible,” said Mr. Trueman,
“a passage that is peculiarly applicable in the
present case. It is this—A soft answer turneth
away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.—
I have found this precept, in a life that has numbered
more than double your years, to be one
that may be safely and honorably adopted, in all
cases. You blame Mr. Williams for writing you
an angry letter, and are indignant at certain expressions
contained therein. Now, is it any more
right for you to write an angry letter, with cutting
epithets, than it is for him?”
“But, Mr. Trueman—”
“I do assure you, my young friend,” said the
lawyer interrupting him, “that I am acting in
this case for your benefit, and not for my own;
and, as your legal adviser, you must submit to my
judgment, or I cannot consent to go on.”
“If I will promise not to use any harsh language,
will you not consent to let me write the letter?”
urged the client.
“You and I, in the present state of your mind,
could not possibly come at the same conclusion in
reference to what is harsh and what is mild,”
said Mr. Trueman, “therefore I cannot consent
that you shall write one word of the proposed reply.
I must write it.”
“Well, I suppose, then I shall have to submit.
When will it be ready?
“Come this afternoon, and I will give you the
draft, which you can copy and sign.”
In the afternoon Mr. Singleton came and received
the letter prepared by Mr. Trueman. It
ran thus, after the date and formal address.
“I regret that my proposition did not meet your
approval. The mode of settlement which I suggested
was the result of a careful consideration of
our mutual interests. Be kind enough to suggest
to Mr. Trueman, my lawyer, any plan which you
think will lead to an amicable adjustment of our
business. You may rely upon my consent to it,
if it meets his approbation.”
“Is it possible, Mr. Trueman, that you expect
me to sign such a cringing letter as that?” said
Mr. Singleton, throwing it down, and walking
backwards and forwards with great irritation of
manner.
“Well, what is your objection to it,” replied
Mr. Trueman, mildly, for he was prepared for just
such an exhibition of feelings.
“Objection! How can you ask such a question?
Am I to go on my knees to him and beg him to
do me justice. No! I'll sacrifice every cent I've
got in the world first, the scoundrel!”
“You wish to have your business settled, do
you not?” asked Mr. Trueman, looking him
steadily in the face.
“Of course I do!—Honorably settled!”
“Well, let me hear what you mean by an honorable
settlement?”
“Why I mean—”
The young man hesitated a moment, and Mr.
Trueman said,
“You mean a settlement in which your interest
shall be equally considered with that of Mr.
Williams.”
“Yes, certainly. And that—”
“And that,” continued Mr. Trueman, “Mr.
Williams, in the settlement, shall consider and
treat you as a gentleman.”
“Certainly I do. But that is more than he has
done!”
“Well, never mind. Let what is past go for
as much as it worth. The principal point of action
is in the present.”
“But I'll never send that mean, cringing letter,
though.”
“You mistake its whole tenor, I do assure you,
Mr. Singleton. You have allowed your angry
feelings to blind you. You, certainly, carefully
considered, before you adopted it, the proposed
basis of a settlement, did you not.”
“Of course I did.”
“So the letter which I have prepared for you,
states. Now as an honest and honorable man,
you are, I am sure, willing to grant to him the
same privilege which you asked for yourself, viz,
that of proposing a plan of settlement. Your pro
position does not seem to please him: now it is
but fair that he should be invited to state how he
wishes the settlement to be made. And in giving
such an invitation, a gentleman should use
gentlemanly language.”
“But, he don't deserve to be treated like a gentleman.
In fact, he has no claim to the title,”
the young man.
“If he has none, as you say, you profess to be a
gentleman, and all gentlemen should prove by
their actions and their words that they are gentle
men.”
“I can't say that I am convinced by what you
say, but, as you seem so bent on having it your
own way, why, here, let me copy the thing and
his manner.
“There now!” he added, passing across the
table the brief letter he had copied, “I suppose
he'll think me a low spirited fellow, after he gets
that. But he's mistaken. After it's all over, I'll
take good care to tell him, that it didn't contain
my sentiments!
Mr. Trueman smiled, as he took the letter, and
went on to fold and direct it.
“Come to-morrow afternoon, and I think we'll
have things in a pretty fair way,” he said, looking
up with his usual pleasant smile, as he finished
the direction of the letter.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Singleton,” he said, as
that gentleman entered his office on the succeeding
day.
“Good afternoon,” responded the young man.
“Well, have you heard from that milk and water
letter of yours? I can't call it mine.”
“Yes, here is the answer. Take a seat, and I
will read it to you,” said the old gentleman.
“Well, let's hear it.”
“Dear George—I have your kind, reasonable,
and gentlemanly note of yesterday, in reply to
my harsh, unreasonable, and ungentlemanly one
of the day before. We have both been playing
the fool; but you are ahead of me in becoming
for a settlement, and it meet my views precisely.
My foolish anger kept me from seeing it
before. Let our mutual friend, Mr. Trueman,
arrange the matter, according to the plan mentioned,
and I shall most heartily acquiesce. Yours,
&c.”
“He never wrote that letter in the world!”
exclaimed Singleton, starting to his feet.”
“You know his writing, I presume,” said Mr.
Trueman, handing him the letter.
“It's Thomas Williams' own hand, as I live!”
ejaculated Singleton, on glancing at the letter.—
“My old friend, Thomas Williams, the best natured
fellow in the world!” he continued, his
feelings undergoing a sudden and entire revolution.
“What a fool I have been!”
“And what a fool I have been!” said Thomas
Williams, advancing from an adjoining room, at
the same time extending his hand towards Singleton.
“God bless you, my old friend!” exclaimed
Singleton, grasping his hand. “Why what has
been the matter with us both?”
“My young friends,” said old Mr. Trueman,
one of the kindest hearted men in the world, rising
and advancing towards them. “I have known
you long, and have always esteemed you both.
perceive, is of my arrangement. Now let me give
you a precept that will both make friends, and
keep friends. It has been my motto through life;
and I don't
know that I have an enemy in the
world. It is
“A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous
words stir up anger.”
| Mr. and Mrs. Woodbridge | |