The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-02-03


One Sunday morning, Bishop VIII
liams, of Connecticut, drove over from
Middletown to Meriden 10 hold an or
dination. Driving up to livery stable
he asked tho man in charge; Can i
have my team taken care of here?"
81 guess SO"
"But want to know"
"Oh, yes; / guess So"
envy friend" said the now slightly
irritated prelate, 81 want plain answer
to my question: Can my team DO cared
for at this stable?"
"And tell you that I guess So" said
the man with all honesty OF purpose and
with manifestation of great surprise.
The good bishop told his coachman to
turn around and go to some stable where
people knew what they could do without
guessing.
The man meant nothing by hisreplies,
it was his manner of speech. Acute, in
dustrious, frugal and blessed with q
speculative admiration OF his own pecu-
liarities, the Yankee beats q Quaker in
the pertinacity with which he seeks to
avoid giving q direct answer. l remem-
Der well, when first visited New Eng
land as young man, the candid ver-
dancy with which 1 answered all ques-
lions about myself at first. and the an
ger / felt afterward. Still, there is
much that is amusing in it. A few
years ago, travelling through central
New York ON slow train, / was intense
ly amused at conversation between two
Yankees, strangers to each other. One
of them had pumped" all the other
passengers to whom he could get access,
and mt last he attacked his brother Down
Easter somew hat as follows:
'Well, now, which way may You be
traveling?"
"Going straight West. don't You seer"
"Are you going far?"
"Well, reilly, / don't recollect how
many miles the distance is.
81 expect you'll be from New York;"
"Yes, I've been to York city pretty
often"
"Then I guess you don't live there?"
81 do great deal Of business there. "
"No doubt, II suppose You'll be
going to Chicago to see the West?"
''Folks say all the world is going to
Chicago, and l expect good sight
of them is"
"Do you calculate on stopping long
when you get as far you are going?"
"My business will have to settle that,
expect"
"Then it's not for pleasure you're TAX
ing a trip this time. Perhaps it's your
health"
"My health don't trouble me much, 1
guess"
"Glad to hear it. How's the wheat
market?'
81 amt just able to say"
"a deal of money is made by just
looking after the article at the fountain
head, and that appears to be Chicago. }"
you may say that"
"Do you look to go in heavily on pro-
duce out there?"
II haven't said was going there yet. :"
II calculate you'll find the market
changeable these times"
II guess you read the papers same as
do"
"Well, yes. But what is your princi.
pal article of producer"
"That which make the most by, /
should say"
"Of course. But what do you call
your most particular branch?"
"Well it would puzzle q Mohawk
Dutchman to say"
So these two men went on, without
giving or taking an inch, and each seemed
to derive no little amusement from the
mutual attempt to get ahead.
The ineradicable audacity OF the men
from the land of steady habits was we'll
illustrated years ago III the anecdote told
concerning well-known naval officer,
who had risen to the Office of captain by
personal gallantry in the war of 1912 and
had never gained the accomplishments
of the modern naval school. His frigate
being anchored off Naples, the gallant
captain had invited the Pope and the
King of Naples, the Bourbon ''Bomba,
to visit him, and the invitation had been
accepted The illustrious guests were
received with all due honors, the ship
was inspected and everything went off
well. But the captain was at once anx-
ious to discharge the duties OF hospital
ity and at the same time fearful of offend
ing his spiritual visitor. Calling his
first lieutenant he said: Lieutenant,
please take charge of Pope. Pope ex-
cuse us. King, come into the cabin and
have drink.
To this anecdote the italian proverb
well applies-si non evero e ben trovato
If it Is not true it ought to be!