Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-03-15

QUEER THINGS IN WoRps-I see that
writers in our public journals are now
busily engaged In task over which often
tortured my brain ns a boy-the number
of tiansPositions tha Gt0 he made ont OF
Gray's line:
The poushman han stvl Gio4, bis ~sary gay" .
cannot see why this line should have
been always selected from any other lines
of English verse that are capable Of Just as
many transpositions. The sentence John
lies buried here" contains but four
words, yet is capable Of twenty four trans
positions, all making good sense aud good
English. II the seven words comprising
Gray's line we're capable, like the four
words in the sentence | have here given,
of making good sense and good English In
whatever position you might arrange
them, they would be capable Of tive thou.
sand and forty transpositions.
Here are few remarkable illustrations
of the change of meaning that can be
effected in certain sentences by change
of accent md PAUSE:
In the thirteenth chapter of I. Kings
occurs this passage: " Saddle mo the ass
so they sadded him lhe ass Again, let
the reader observe low many various
meanings can bc given the following
question by change of accent from Que
word to another. beginning by accenting
the first: Will you ride to town to.
morrow"
Now, as regards pause: A certain hu.
morst gives us the following reading of a
familiar passage in Solomon's Proverbs
" The wicked fec (lea), when no man
pursusth but the righteous. is bold as a
lion." A strange announcement this 10
entoMologists.
A distinguished English acior, enrased
at an unappreciativo audience, hssed out
the words " fools" Having been imperi-
ously called upon to apologize, he deliv-
cred the following apology, rapidly md
without pause: have called this audi
ence fools it is true and AIN sorry for 1t.
On being taunted aiterwari on the abj.cs.
ness of his apology he denied having apol-
ogized ut all, declaring th.t he had only
reiterated his accusation, and giving his
language as follows: - have called this
audience foois; 1t Is true; aud | am sorry
for it,"
In the olden time ii was the custom
with inn-keepers 10 have a legend or
rhyme on their sign-bosrds. Bayard Tay-
or tells rs that such Is the custom in
Sweden to-day. lie tolls us that those
who desire TO attract religious pei sons to
their houses have some text from the
Bible on their sign-boards; yet, alas, he
tells us that wherever he saw such out
ward signs of devotion he had TO take pc.
culiar care against being choated after he
entered the house.
In rural portions OF England it IS now
the custom, or has Deen recently, fUr Inn
keepers to have some sort of proverb,
maxim, legend, or rhyme TN their sign
boards In m old English book of jokes
and anecdotes that ! read over thlrly
years ago l found an accoant OF Il Jolly
fellow. somewhere in the west OF Eagland,
that kept barber shop aud a t,p-roon in
his house, and who hld the following
rhyme on his sign board:
"My name is rom DroIllm and what do Yea thuk
III shave you for sxpence and throw in dripE"
There was no punctuation Ehe rhrme
was intended for II spiders web t. crch
nnwary flies. One day tw1 men cntere,l
the spiders cell, as others In done hefore
them. On fnding Themselves charged
with drinks as we'll as the shave, they ae
eused Tom Droddum of having cheated
them by the inscription on his sign board
Inviting them out, he asked them to read
the couplet, which they read in the same
manner 10 they had dene before, when
their host declared that the mistake was
owing to their inability u read correctly.
after which ha himself real the ruplet in
this wise:
" Ny name is Tom DGoddum and rhGt. do yeH tbist
III 8 hsve you for siKpenee and throw in drink"