The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-18

| take, 70, beiscL anopnef staClonT Moth
ing; he was an aristocrat snd .,ahe
made ita poirt of honor to stand iipna
her rights: 'Well, then, hs Sid lat
last, .,sihce you will not listen TO
4 reason, q must appeal to your
donkey ;;'hand he ss7Tihia v hiapered inNede
dyss. ear, The crowd which had gather.
cd round laughing of him till he ran
in. Presently, however. the donkey
began to kick and plunge. as if it.
were possessed, spilling all the milk,
butter, cheese, go. The woman
cried out "witchcraft. The crowd
took up the cry, and there was such
o riot that the police came.
"What is the matter?" asked the
commissary. 8 81 .T,Sa
ga young man who lives on the
enfresol has bewitched my ass, replied
the milk-woman.
T'sPooh, pooh" said the commits
sary; but The woman would not be
pooh -poohed, and he had to take her
up to the gentleman's apartments
and confront him with the complain
ant.
She told her story ct length. The
young man waited patiently till she
had quite done, and then said: "Sir,
this woman has spoiled my nights
rest for this month past. I have
complained, I have entreated; she.
has scorned my requests and my
prayers. Il could not revenge my
self upon a woman; but her donkey,
who is masculine. had no such claim
upon my forbearance; besides, the
peculiar cries of the animal are what
is most distressing to me. This ass,
as avaricious as his mistress, has q
sister upon whose succession he
counted, bnt who is going to marry
again; it was this news, whispered by
me in his ear, which exasperated him
to such degree, that he conducted
himself in so violent a manner"
The commissary, who could hardly
keep his countenance, said that the
young man had better pay for the
mild that was split, and advised the
milk-woman to move her station be-
yond the reach of man who had
such peculiar power of convers-
ing with animals. Both assented,
and the woman took the money,
crossed herself, and went.
"And now, then," said the COM
missary to the young man, chow did
you do it?"
81 dropped lighted fusee in the
brute's ear, said he.
A French auditor of accounts in
the seventeenth century was q great
practical joker all his life, and even
played trick after he had lost the
power of enjoying it, for he left four
large candles to be carried at his fune-
raj, which had been burning fifteen
minutes before they went off as fire.
works.
When q lady condescends to
practical joke, it generally is avery
neat one. M. ,Boncour, the rich
financier, was very stingy to his wife
in the matter of pin money. One
day lady, closely yelled, and very
anxious not to be recognized, called
upon him and borrowed large sum,
leaving her diamonds as q pledge. It
was his wife.
The ancients used to indulge in
practical Jokes to a considerable ex-
tent. For instance, the Thracians,
at their drinking parties, sometimes
played the game of hanging. They
fixed round moose to the bough of
a tree, and placed underneath it
stone of such shape that it would
easily turn round when any one
stood on it. Then they drew lots;
aud he who drew the lot took sickle
in his hand, stood on the stone, and
put his neck into the halter. The
stone was kicked away; and if he
could cut himself down with his
sickle. well and good; but if he was
not quick enough, he was hanged
outright; "and the rest laugh, think
ing it good sport.
Then there was some old gentle
mani forget his name and nation
who pretended to make friends with
his enemy, and asked him to dinner;
and for the last course, large dish
was brought in, which proved, when
uncovered, to contain the heads of
the guests wife and family. This
was carrying joke rather too far.
Nero's jests were likewise very
practical. "What fat fellow that
senator is!' he observed one day to
O conrtier; ''see me cut him down."
And he did it in the most facetious
manner.
Indeed. in the early stages of