The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-11-24

his beC room on a chair in which lay a
tray containing half dozen shirts, done
up with fitting clerical stiffness. He pro-
gressed leisurely in his dressing, till he
came to attempt fastening his waistcoat,
when he found the operation impossible.
After many Intellectual struggles, he
called his wife to his aid, who likewise
found the waistcoat difficulty insur-
mouDtable. She was at loss to ex-
plain the phenomenon, till she happened
to cast her eye on the shirt tray 1t was
empty. The minister, in his absence of
mind, had put on the whole half-doz en-
| shirts, one on top of another, and it was
no wonder that his waistcoat would not
! button. On another occasion he and his
wife were under invitation to dine at the
mansion of the laird of the parish. The
/ minister had been out for long days
work, and when he came home, a little
! too late, he found his mistress already
dressed and waiting. He at once went
/ up stairs to make his toilet with strict
| injunctions from his good lady to be quick.
| He WAS so slow, however, that che got
! impatient, and went to see what was the
cause of the delay. Entering the bed
room she found the worthy man placidly
| enjoying his first sleep. Having un-
dressed, it seems that in his absence of
mind he had taken it for granted that the
natural sequel was to go to bed, and he
lay totally obli,iou of the dinner party
/ at the lairds.
! 1t is said Of Sir Isaac Newton that he
| often forgot to eat his dinner, which his
| housekeeper was accustomed to leave in
a closet near his study door. His head
was too much in the Heavens to mind
the earth; 50 friend knowing his pecu-
liarity, one day slipped his dinner out of
| the basket and ate it. When at last the
philosopher came out and greeted his
/ friend, he asked TO be excused till he took
his lunch. On looking into his basket
and finding 1t gone, he simply exclaimed,
much to his friends amusement, ooh, l
forgot l had eaten my dinner
An absent-minded man, Mr.. A.
| of Troy, receives letter; knows the
| handwriting-he wants to read it in
haste-it is already dark-he strikes a
light, tears a paper and lights a lamp,
but The letter is gone-he has used it to
| light the lamp.
There is late striking instance given
mated Director of the Academy of Paris
One day, when going to the Sorbonne.
where he lectured on theology, he imag-
ined he had forgotten his watch, aud took
it out Of his pocket to see if he had time
to GO and fetch it.
! 1t is said of Neander, the learned lee
turer, and ecclesiastical historian of Ger
many, that his sister had to watch him
| daily, to see that he did not start to the
university with his night cap on, or with
his study gown and slippers; and it was
not uncommon for him, when moving
aside from the jostling crowd in the street,
TO step into the gutter, where he walked
on and on, seemingly unconscious of
where he was stepping
The following auecdote Illustrates sew
eral things, among others the presence of
mind of medical students, and the absence
of ditto sometimes in cabmen: A medi-
cal student returning home late in cab,
recoIlected, upon finding he had no money
to pay his fare, that be had dropped two
sovereigns at the bottom of the cab. He
told the cabman, in an agitated manner,
of his losses, and begged OF him 10 wait
till he got candle to look for them. He
went into the hall to look for one, but
while falling over the chairs in search of
s'lucifer" he heard the cab 60 Oft. He
ran to the door, and, to his astonishment,
saw the cab galloping as fast as it could
down the street. He halloed, and called,
and shouted, but the cabman was SO deaf
that he could not hear him. The medi-
cal student, however, went quietly to bed,
and, instead of reproaching himself for
the deception he had practised on the cab
man, he laughed at the ingenious way in
which he had got home for nothing.
a story is told of very good elderly
gentleman, an affcctiona husband and
father, who, upon a fire breaking out in
his home, rushed across the street and
earnestly begged friend who lived op-
posite to take care of-his nightcapl
People have been known TO throw glass
or crockesy out of first or second floor
window in order to save it, when human
lives and real valuables were in jeopardy.
An old servant was dragged faintine
from a house in flames. When she came
to, she said, ''Thank goodness, I've saved
thisp' Now what she saved was par
Ior broom. 1t is not everybody who can
be as cool as the Scotchman, who flung
himself out of the sixth story on hearing
the cry of sire - When he had go; hall
way down he found that there was no fire
, at all, but seeing friend in the third
story looking out of the window, said con
templatively, "Eh, Sandy, mon, sic ia
ss l will hae ~
A milkman on the line of the Harlem
, Railroad was seen lately driving Jehu-lik,
with his milk wagon on four mile-heat
. thinking he would be too late for the train
, The villagers stared as he rushed through
the streets. The train was already stand