New-York tribune., 1891-12-24
CHANCES HERE AND THERE.

New.York reporters who sent into the country
on assignments find enough amusement In their
experiences often compensate them for their trouble
and work. even when the story does not tnr out to be
worth much The NewY rep0rter well out In the
country is looked upon something TO be carefully
looked over and studied Perhaps there are only two
other classes of men who received with more
genuine interest One is advance agent of Barnums
circus and the other OF Inspector Byrnes's de-
tectves. The advance agent Is not very far ahead
OF the reporter but the detective so far beyond them
both that there is little room for comparison. A
New York reporter sent out into New-Jersey once
TO write up the forest fires there. When he left hs
train be sent to the hotel to get his bearings How
about your big forest fires I" he asked of the proprietor
Forest fres,n answered the other, loftly, we
haven't had any. at all. What do you want to know
about them for'7 he added little inqulsitlvey on
porter, itf eh Why, Of course sit down. Biggest
forest fires yon ever saw. Magnificent spectacle we
beat the country forest fires Iou can say that !
smith and Brown and Jones and White, so they can
and smith, Jones, Brown and White broke the worlds
record in the next hahour for lying about forest fires
Here is case of coincidence Two college men
wfs graduated in the same class met for the first
time since their graduation at dinner. When shey
had been in college together they constantly get
ting mixed up Not because they looked alike or
talked alike or acted alike. But their names nru
very similar and when one man used to get low grade
he always declared that the other man had got his
grade and IL one man was summoned before the Dean
it always turned ont that the wrong had received
the summons. When the two men met at dinner each
began confession TO the other that each been recev-
ing the others wedding invitations, etc. from class
mates for the fate had pursued 4hem after grad
uation. The trouble was. Just it had been IN col
ege, that the wrong addresses were given to the men,
In the class reports issued by the secretary Of the
class after graduation the addresses had again been
mixed I'D Now the coincidence in that neither
man knew that his rival in trouble hveS ork
and THAI 10th said they woud at once set the secretary
fright as the addresses. Remember these men had
not met in several years, but upon going TO their OF
fees one after the dinner Ehey found reports or
the secretary which had Just come by mail and for
the first time their names and addresses were gwen
correctly. Did the coming report. of which tney
knew nothing, make thom meet. or did their meeting
and talk make the report for the first time correct!
But then IL was coincidence
The launching OF the new United States gunboat
Machlas recalled 10 n NewYorker the fact that they
have cold weather around MachCs, Maine. He told
about sleigh ride which he made in that part of the
Pine Tree state one winter when the mercury was 50
low that there did not seem TO be any OF 1T In the
" for the Thermometer told so, but was well
wrapped up and did not seem to feel the cold much.
had to ride for FIVE hours, however and when got
ont of the sleigh was stiff that could not move.
had to be carried into the hotel and for two days
lay In bed I'm numbed condition until roaring fires,
blankets and hot drinks had thawed the Ice out of my
blOOd,n