The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-12-30

@tA- a4As1aEA-- #. ...
Grandfather ~Lickshingle sometimes calls
the little children around his knee, and says
that, since they insist upontit, he will tell
them q story, when, at the same time. the
children have not been saying a word about a
story. This was the case yesterday evening,
whenhe beckoDed them from their books,
and said: sst ef
.sWell, since you won't give me any peace,
I'll improve your young minds with the story
of one of Shakespeare's characters. l will
take Shylock, - continued the old gentleman,
most interesting of all the great masters
creations, Shylock was a bald-headed man,
who kept a clothing store in Venice, or Vim
cennes-anyhow, it was some place in lndi-
ana. He kept a family of seven children
OIL ten cents a day, an laid up many ducats.
Whenever a friend came along who was in a
tight place for spondulicks, Shylock was
always happy to lend him money an help
him out, chargin' him so to 60 per cent. inter-
est, an takin' a mortgage on his friends
property as security. One day Antonio came
along, tired and f~ootsore, where Shylock was
sittih' in front of his store, an said:
"'Lend me fifteen cents till Saturday
night F.. s.... .. .l.-
"'Give me a mortgage on your house and
lot, IAN you can have it, ...saH =
"'Alas! my FRIEND replied Antonio, Il
sold my house and lot before l went to Lead
ville.'
"'Haven't you got a mule p asked Shy
lock.
"tAlas! no mule
"'But surely you've got a dog"
"I had a good dog once but oh! woe is
me he starved to death when l was strivin'
to build.up a nlornin' ne~wspaperto fill a long
felt want.'
"Shylock scratched his old BALD head for a
moment, all then said:
"'Well, my friend, Pm sorry for you, an
I'll tell you what I'll do business is business,
an so I'll let you have the fifteen cents till
Saturday night, an take a mortgage on your
liver
"AntOnio wanted the rhino very badly, not
having had anything to drink since he left
Omaha, and SO he took the money an gave
Shylock the mortgage as aforesaid. Antonio
did not show up on Saturday night, not hay
Ing the ready-John-Davis in his pocket to fix
things, and Shylock swore by the bird with
the broad and sweepin' wing that he would
~foreclose the mortgage. Antonio was in a
great stew, and told his story to Portia, a
female Justice of the Peace, who, with all
the native cunnin' of her sex, succeeded in
gettin' Antonio out OF Shylock's clutches, on
the ground that, while Shylock could, &C
cording to the contract, take Antonio's liver,
he had no right to shed one drop of blood,
and, if he did so, all his large stock of cloth
ing and gents furnishing goods was confs-
Gated.
81 think l can recall a line or two of the
famous dialogue on this particular point"
said Grandfather, as as he tapped his fore
head with his hickory stick. diet me see it
begins with Portals speech thus:
"'We give thee leave to cut the flesh,
So canst thou sharp thy pruning hook
And slash away q sweetly-scented scrub!
But hold, shed thou no blood,
Nor take no more than just his liver.
If by any mischance thou takeSt his heart,
His lights. his gall, his gizzard.
Or any little odds or ends that thou mayst
Run against while fishing in his diaphragm,
Thy goods are contiscated unto the State,
And thou get'st kicked all over town to boot
"EShylock-Is that the law?'
"'Portia-Thyself shall see the act
"tShylock-Why, then, Satan give him
good of it! He's got nothin' but a white
liver, anyhow!
"And this, my little dears," said GRANDPA
Their, sis the beautiful story OF Shylock-
there being just this to add: Although the
matter seemed to sit lightly upon him, the
loss OF fifteen cents so preyed upon Shylock
that he died soon after with a broken heart.
In the midst of life we are i'll death.''-Cin
cinnati Enquirer.