The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-10-13
Polk MiIler's Yarn.

talking to lot OF men, VINO, ike
myself, felt the oppressive heat Of .
still July night. There was drum
mer near me who was the best ven
triloquist I had ever seen. The rest
of the company knew of his powers,
but did not, so he concluded to have
little fun out of me. 1 heard voice
from the third story saying:
"Won't you please come to No. 6.
I would like to speak to you" l
went up, but found No. 6 uncccupied,
with the hallway leading to it filled
with lot of rubbish, oyer which [
stumbled. Calling to the clerk, who
was one of the gang below. Iiuquir-
ed who was in No. 6. He replied that
there was no one registered for that
room. / was puzzled, but never for a
moment suspected that I was the vic
tim of practical joke. Returning to
the pavement I began to comment
upon the strangeness of the thing,
when a voice called me again, saying /:
ri made mistake in the number.
Will you please come to No. is. l
am sorry to trouble you
| I Immediately ran up the three
fights of stairs to No. 16, but met
with no better luck than before, for
this room was dark and unoccupied.
I begun to get a little mad, for I
thought some fellow was up there and
lodging me. I gave up the search
and went back to where the group Of
men were seated.
''That fellow thinks he's doing
something smart" said I.
At this the crowd broke forth in a
hearty laugh and the perpetrator Of
the joke made the most humble apollo
gy, saying: "We justwanted to have
a little fun at your expense, sir. I
am ventriloquist.
His chair was next to mine, and
the ssell' was so complete and so sur
prised me that I enjoyed it as much as
the rest of them. Some time after
that this man and I met in a small
town in North Carolina.
! While standing on the street corner,
talking, we saw an old darky coming
toward us with a fishing pole thrown
across his left shoulder, while in his
right hand he was carrying a turtle,
holding him by the tail. The old
| fellows face was wreathed in smiles,
for he was thinking of the turtle
I.soup he was going to have that day
for dinner. I called my ventriloquist
| friend S attention to the old negro as
he came shambling along.
CANT he happy" said |. "Vis-
| ions of turtle soup are floating through
| his mind.
/ "Wait till he gets up close to ME
and I'll make that turtle speak to
him, said my friend.
! "Can you do that p
"Watch me, said he.
| Just as the old negro got alongside
voice as from the sky saic::
"Whar you gwine to drap me p
| The old man turned his eyes heav-
onward and said
"Hi who dat spoke p
Just then the voice came again, but
this time it was unmistakably from
the turtle. Looking down with aston
ishment and fear he let 60 his prize,
saying as he did so:,
''I'se gwine to drap you right ere. .
| And he did SO. I called to him:
sold man, come back and get your
turtle.
"Nor;, sub, he. can stay d'yrr. !
doan' want him !"
/ "Oh, come back" said I, "this
man is ventriloquist, and it was he
that made the turtle speak"
Looking at my friend and moving
off slowly in the opposite direction,
| he said:
IT doan' know nothin bout 70
whentriloguis, but the devils in dat
turtle, an I'm done wid him r'-CIn-
cinnati Commercial Tribune.
A Preachers Case.