LITTLE COURTESIES OF LIFE.
It is a pleasant thing, when one is going about the world, to bestow little courtesies, or do little kindnesses for those with whom we come in contact; but it is not every one who has the faculty of doing these things gracefully. An incident in a street car the other day illustrates the aptitude of some people in meeting emergencies, and the ease with which they grasp the situation. A lady entered the car holding her dress up to avoid stepping on the trimming, which had broken loose, and was dangling some distance below the edge of the skirt. Adjusting her belongings as best she could, and putting the trimming in proper shape, she began a search for a pin. The belt, the edge of the dress, the collar—every place where a pin might have been found—was examined, but to no purpose. The threads that held the trimming were then pulled up and tied as snugly as possible, and she gave up in despair, and settled herself to the idea that the trimming must drag until she could get to some place where the needful repairing could be done. A pert youngster across the car grinned and enjoyed her embarrassment. A rather dashing-looking woman transfixed her unfortunate sister with her eyes, and smiled in an insulting fashion. A middle-aged man, evidently a dyspeptic, exchanged glances with his friend; and, all told, the situation was not particularly comfortable. Just then a man rose from his seat, passed down the aisle of the car, halted just long10enough to offer the lady some pins, touched his hat, and was gone in an instant. There was more genuine good-will in the act than all of those disgruntled spectators could feel in a lifetime. The man was a stranger, and the lady scarcely caught sight of his face, but she knew without any further evidence that he was a gentleman.—New York Ledger.