, 1882-07-21
The Ways OF Wash In

To o lazy Chinaman, as to n pbiIos,
pher, every thing is matter for mar
his life is wondered away by the bons.'
de picks up piece of scrap-iron in t5o
street, and first he wonders for an bon. s
what 1t has been used for, and then Sa
speculates for sixty Minutes concernine
some possible use to which he NAV tnrsS
1t; You step into the postoilice TO mail mail
letter; he follows you, wondering wLa.
you are going for; you buy n stann % II"
counts the change and estimates tb' %
cost; you lick it, he is amazed nj ,Ss e
process; you slide the letter into tbo M
box, he catches last glimpse of ,be
vNignette on the stamp, notices man.
head with attachment Of pig-tail, and bo
goes out and sits down on the extyomo
edge OF the sidewalk and stares M no,I
ing, while he wonders if that man va.
Confucius. ~
Like the proverbial country boy who
has never left his home the Chinnmnn
Is gawky and ungraceful in the extreme.
but never WAS there book agent nm,
OF that class of men who travel so much
that had more cool audacity than he
HIS locose familiarity is more than nm,
daclous at times-it is insolent
These men are certainly OF the lows.,
and most Ignorant grade ut home, and
yet there are few laundry workers NJ
other nationalities-Irish, German. q,
colored-which can handle the pep a.
easily rs they WELD brush. TAX.
your weeks linen to one uf these hous4s
and Immediately one of the inn,ut,
seats himself Mt II desk. dips the bmh
into the moistened surface If {. cak. a
ink, and with many u dash AMI artistic
stroke, every one of WHO'S, curve, iy n
line of beauty, he makes ont u menor.
andum OF the articles consigned to hi,
care. These wa,hlng.li,ts, looking M
like the labels on our packages OF frp.
crackers, are greatly in dcmald andw,
carried AWAY rs souvenirs OF travel in
Chinatown. Absent fathers send them
home to their children humorou, stu.
dents on summer vacation cOnsign them
to their old professors, calling them lost
manuscripts of great archaeological
worth and once there was an inludi.
cious lover who sent one home to his
sweetheart.
1t was in this way. He was practi.
cal joker, and, having one of these laun.
dry documents in his possession, he
thought he would have some fun. So
he sprinkled the delicate paper with
sweet essences and addressed it to his
hearts OVID. With it he dispatched
letter, in which he said that the inclosed
was Chinese madrigal, written at his
instigation expressly for her by one Of
the greatest OF Chinas poets, and, fur.
ther, that it was to be read 10 slow music
from the gentle tomtom, with an occa.
sional passionate outburst from tine
gong. The lady, devoured with anxiety
TO learn the sweet words of this mystical
message, forwarded it to q Translator,
who returned answer, cuuched in all the
cold precision of business, that the writ.
ing certified that this gentleman, the
practical joker, had deposited with Mr..
Wash Lo, washerman, one shirt, two
collars, one pair of hose, ct al, and that
the same were to be duly cleansed,
ironed and ready for return on sucha
day. 1t is said that the lady's reply to
this practical joker was read without the
assistance Of translator, and the tune
to which he read it was q dirge overa
lost love. This fable teaches us that it
is we'll to reserve ones practical Jokes on
ones sweetheart till after the wedding
ay.-Lippincotfs Magazine.