THE AUSTIN PAPERS. 307 respect ever to permit them to escape either my lips or pen on an 'occasion like this. . by way of explanation however I would re- mark that there are two classes of men in the world who in my opinion are equally contemptable.- The deceitful treacherous faun- ing sycophant who by ambiguous insinuations will, under the sacred name of friendship wound the feelings of others choseing such time plase and circumstance as to plase it out of the ·power of the person injured to treat such conduct as it merits; and the officious news gatherer who goes about collecting trash and construes the iclie and loose remarks of others into mighty things and gives his own foolish conjectures as facts those two characters combined become st-ill more odious and I never can reconcile to my feelings t9 recognise them ns friends JOSHUA PILCHER . I have taken the liberty of delivering this in person
2. AUSTIN TO PILCHER •
St Louis May 14 1817-
Sm Dureing my present visit to this place I observed a coolness in you towards me and being fully under the conviction that I had inten- tionally done nothing either directly or indirectly to injure you or wound your feelings, I noticed this singular Change in your deport- ment with real astonishment expecting however that you would persue that course toward me which a Man of honor and of Sperit never hesitates about adopting when he finds or conceives himself injured by another, I waited patiently untill last evening, expecting to be caJl'd on to ~nswer for those injuries your deportment told me you conceived I had done you, I waited in vain-you remainod Silent-and intending to leave Town this day I called on you Myself for an explination of your conduct, not doubting, but that I should have recd one, and not doubting but that, that full explination would have en.-tbled me to convince you that I did not merit the treatment I had received and that the cause of your singular deportment might be very readily t:r;aced to the false representations of some meddling busybody; or to the misconception of some innocent and inadvertant act or expression of mine, which was never intended to wound the feelings or injure the reputation or views of any person liveing, much less one who I cmce considered a man of principle and consistancy and who I once esteemed as a friend. I consider it one of the first duties of a Gentleman to render reparation where it is due and there are • ce,rta·in otlie1· duties [Austin inserts the marginal note "Masonic "l
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