St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-26
A party of gentlemen were seated at

table in the Ryan buffet last evening.
Four of them were travelling CONNER
Gals, fifth was Prof. Philip Hughes.
of Manchester Park, who by the way Is
stone deaf, and the sixth newspaper
man. The SeXtette were having pretty
jolly sort OF time. Story telling was the
order. Every one of the travelling men
had spun yarn more or less difficult to
digest, and the newspaper man followed
with story about Eugene Field. Inc
yarn was good one and well told.
Every one laughed, and most heartily
of all the professor. He twisted and
writhed in a very agony of laughter,
seeming to struggle for control OF his
risibles, and again giving way to spas
modic gasps. The rest of the party had
qnieted down, and it was Prof. Hughes
turn to tell a story. Turning to the ex-
pectant group. he inquired:
Ibid any of you ever hear the joke ON
Gene Field? No? Funniest thing lever
heard in my life I'll tell you about it, ]"
and he went on to tell the precise story
over which he had almost laughed him
self into commissions a moment before.
The professor hadn't heard word.
~
Adolph Vambery, nephew Of Prof.
Vambery, of Allgemeine, Germany,
was recounting to some friends at the
Ryan hotel, last night, the contents OF
a letter he had recently received from
his distinguished relative. The profess
sor had related an adventure of his with
Henry M. Stanley before the latter left
London. He wrote to Mr.. Stanley, ask
ing for several of his photographs, and
requesting him to write his signature
on the back of each. The photos were
for members of the National Casino,
who had personally requested them.
The reply received came not from MIR.
Stanley but from his secretary. 1t read
as follows: dear Sir: My principal
begs to inform you that he won't part
with his autograph, even to his own
mother, for less than 910."
The letter writer concludes with the
remark that, '.in small matters as well
as great, Stanley has proved himself a
money-grabbing Yankee"
-
Russ Munger. one of the regular hab-
tues of the Ryan corridor, and who was
never known to be short on stories,
says that the most curious thing brought
to his notice recently is an invention by
friend of his on Dayton avenue. 1t
seems that this gentleman. whose name
Tue utdl6I W hdu
a chimney in his house that never was a
success since the latter was built. He
happened on to all idea for increasing
the draught in that chimney. 1t cost him
SIT to have the scheme carried out by a
competent mechanic, and about week
week ago. having a fire in the room, ne
determined to try the new damper. He
crossed over to the fireplace, pulled the
knob opening the draught, and only
vaguely remembers what followed. He
knows that the veteran tabby cat, which
lay sleeping on the hearth rug, Instantly
disappeared up the chimney with a
parting howl. The rug itself curled up,
and made desperate effort to follow
the cat, but the inventor of the patent
draught retained sufficient presence of
mind to push in the knob ere he fell
fainting to the floor. He is now negoti-
ating with another mechanic to take the
blamed thing out. The, cat has never
been seen since. The inventors moth
er-in-law and wife were both drifting
rapidly toward the vortex when the cur
rent was cut Off, and their lives saved.
tx
Thomas Arendt. prominent Blue
Earth county agriculturist, was ex-
hibiting a watch yesterday at the Mer-
remarkable career. Mr.. Arendt's
father, now dead, formerly owned the
watch, which is big, turnip-like affair
OF ancient make. While fishing in a
lake near the Arendt homestead, five
years ago, he dropped the watch over
board from his boat. The loss was re-
GREETED, but there was no help for it,
and the old gentleman became resigned
to it. Last spring his son was fishing
in the lake with spoon-bait
for pickerel, when he looked and landed
pike weighing fourteen pounds. The
fish, when cut open to prepare it for
cooking, was found to have an abnormal
growth in the stomach. This was ex-
amined, and a little work with the
knife disclosed the watch lost years be-
fore. Mr.. Arendt's name in full is en-
graved inside the case. The movement
is, OF course, useless, but the cases are
intact, and as curiosity the watch IS
of considerable value to its present