New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1897-06-02
Tales of Hun1or.

was more than once imprisoned in the
Bastile for having directed his satire
against the powers that were. His first
incarceration for such an offense was in
1717, when he leveled biting set of
verses and later satlrical composition
in Latin against the Regent, the Duke of
Orleans. The justly incensed Regent
ordered him to be taken to the Bastlle,
but, forgetting his insulter almost i'm
medlately, he left the W, fetched Voltaire
in prison for eleven months.
When the poet was remembered and
released, the generous Duke, unmindful
of anything save the tedious ilnprison-
ment his lampooner had suffered, sent
for him and granted him pension of
!e40O year to soothe his wounded feel
ings.
Voltaire accepted the gift with as
much witty grace as gratitude.
"Monselgneur," he said, II most hum
bly, thank your royal highness for con-
tinuing to charge yourself with the ex-
pense of my board, but 1 beg you never
again to trouble yourself about my
lodging" -Youth's Companion.
1t was the practice of a certain Lon
don editor, some years ago, to write his
leading article of articles at home the
night before publication. The rest of
the week he did nothing. One night
his article had not come to hand at the
Office. Ten o'clock came, and twelve,
but no sign of an article. There was
commotion in the Office, and at last
messenger was sent to the editors house.
He found him with glass of brandy
and water before him, and newspapers
scattered about. ''What do you
| want?" asked the editor. "The ar
| ticle for tomorrow" ''Didn't I send it2'
| "No; at least it has not come to the Of
| fice." ''Give me the Times" The Times
was found and handed to him, and with
unsteady fingers he cut out one of the
leading articles. This he stuck upon a
sheet of paper, and then, taking his pen,
wrote at the top: "What does the Times
mean by thls?" In that form and with
that introduction it appeared next morn
ing as the editors leading article.--Lon-
don Crypt.
The proceedings of the Royal Society
of London were not taken so seriously
$50 years ago as they are now. A sailor
who had broken his leg was advised to
send to the Royal Society an account of
the remarkable manner in which he had
healed the fracture. He did so. His
story was that, having fractured his leg
by falling from the top of mast, he
had dressed it with nothing but tar and
oakum, which had proved SO wonderful
]y eficacious, that in three days lie was
able to walk just as we'll rs before the
accident. This remarkable story natural
ly caused some excitement among the
members of the society. No one had
previously suspected tar and oakum OF
possessing such miraculous healing pow.
ers. The society wrote for further par.
ticulars, and doubted, indeed, whether
the leg had been really fractured. The
truth Of this part Of the story, however
, was proved beyond the shadow of {
doubt. Several letters passed between
the Royal Society and the humble sailor
who continued to assert most solemnly
o that his broken leg had been treated
with tar and oakum, and with these tw,
applicants only. The society might hav
v remained puzzled for an indefinite per
iod had not the honest sailor remarked
in postscript to his last letter:
81 forgot to tell your honors that tn
T leg was wooden one. "-Harper's Roun
Table.
If A small company of fishermen wei
seated in Cardiff hostelry. They wei
q, telling fish stories.
g "The most exciting days sport ev,
1e had,'' said one Of the company, an Anne
p 81
ut lean, s'was when was off Labrador.
he was with two others; each had two rod
Id and We were simply pulling out fish
re fast as ever we could put in our line
a I forget he added, in thought
n mood, sswhat those fish were. .
ba "Whales2' suggested an Englishma
US with an attempt to be sarcastic.
or .sWhales!" said the Yankee, with
n deprecatory wave Of his hand .'wh
ut man, We were batting with whales
to London Answers.