COMPANIONABLE PEOPLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 19 March 1891, Page 4

COMPANIONABLE PEOPLE.

In every society we find that the people 'who are called companionable are those who have a knack of making light of their tribulations and vexations, and a habit of putting jthem out of sight, who do not entertain 'their acquaintances with the recital of a bad baking, a leaky pipe, the children's measles, [the shortcomings of the servants ; who know how to keep their melancholy, if they have any, out of the conversation ; whose nerves do not furnish them with material for a morning call ; who are not always on the outlook for a draught, or a change of weather, pr a slight ; who do not lament their poverty aloud, and make us feel responsible for it, and uncomfortable amidst our plenty. I The companionable people never seek to make us dissatisfied with ourselves or our belongings ; they talk about the things we like to hear, and are silent on the subjects jpn which we disagree ; they do not differ from us for the sake of differing, and do not announce their opinions as if there were no appeal therefrom. They do not talk you iblind, as the saying is, neither do they offend ■by their taciturnity ; they do not have to jbe drawn out, like detective teeth, but develop I their talent as generously and charmingly |as the plant develops its blossoms ; neither do they pump or catechise us about our affairs, but show a genuine interest in whatever we choose to impart of a personal nature ; and although they never force their confidence upon us, they have none of that frosty reserve which never allows us a glimpse of their hearts. There are some people who are out of sorts at every hand's turn for no legitimate reason — because the sun has gone under a cloud, because they slept badly or ate too heartily ; but the companionable person makes the best of every situation. She is not ndgetty or fussy, and prejudices are not, as with some, her chief characteristic. When she arrives she brings another atmosphere with her, and common things, seen with her eyes, become wonderful. She is a person of ideas, and bestows them with prodigality ; she is not so often a wit as the occasion of wit in others, which is a far more popular being than the mere wit can hope to be ; and, although she may only have travelled "a good deal of Cape Cod," yet she has seen and understood more than many who have ransacked Christendom.