Evening journal., 1897-10-30
BISHOP WHIPPLE'S STORY.
IT WAS NOT NEW, BUT WAS JUS
AS GOOD AS NEW TO HIS EN-
LISH HEARERS.


LISH HEARERS.
Perhaps no American clergyman
held in higher esteem among Englis
men who know him than Bishop Hem
Benjamin Whipple, of Minnesota. +
has paid frequent visits to conference
and other gatherings of the Protesta
Episcopal Church, in England. Durir
the recent Lambeth Conference
preached in Westminster Abbey, and
tremendous audience went to hear hiI
But the bishop is fully as popular as
good story teller. In the latter capa
ity he has done effective missional
work in converting the British mind
an understanding and appreciation
American humor.
Before the bishop had succeeded
arousing this understanding, howeve
he met with several experiences whio
would have been embarrassing had nc
the narrator been gifted with irrepre
sible good humor. The bishop on OF
occasion told a story, the point of whio
was overlooked by his stolid Englis
audience.
This is a story" said the bishop, e
the Western frontier, and illustrate
the brevity of pioneer speech. Yeal
ago had charge on the extreme Yves
ern line of civilization, and saw
great deal of wild frontier life. At tn;
time every man carried firearms on h
person and kept a rife OF pistol With
easy reach of his bed at night Or
night one of the coolest and most cou
ageous men on the frontier was sleeI
ing as was his custom, with his riff
hu
the reputation of being a dead shot
and it is well known that no one ha
any chance when Dick once got II
drop on him.
"Will you explain what drop mear
in that queer Western usage?" asked
sedate bishop.
"Why, it means" said Bishop Will
pie, that one man has another covere
by his gun-pistol, l mean"
"You made us of the word gun il
advertently, of course. for pistol. Is
commonly used in-ah-the states?"
Not at ALL" replied the Minnesota
1--WE say pistol, but the people in I'll.
West sometimes prefer the terser e1
preston gun.
And, excuse me-" said another dis
nitary at the end CT the table, "but d
you mean by dead shot that the ma
you get the drop on with your gun
equal to a dead MANI"
Precisely" said Bishop Whipp.e.
'Well, as I was about to remarl
Dick was awakened one night by
noise at his window Slowly turnin'
his face toward the noise, so as not 4
give warning to any possible enem'
there. he saw a mans head and shOu
ders framed in the open window. Dicl
still as motionless as a serpent, reache
for his rifle. He raised it slowly undo
his own body until the barrel was d
line with the intruder's head. Dick al
WAYS made sure of this point, and HI
adversary was directly in front of hi
weapon before using any palaver. II
| hated so to waste ammunition.
"And, pray, what is 'palaver?
asked a bishop who had not heard III
same word as used by the Englis
themselves in Africa.
"Oh, 'palaver' means talk; id
words"
"As soon as Dick felt that he had II
drop on his visitor he sung out:
you git!'
"The robber looked up hastily. sa'
/ instantly that the dead shot had hii
covered with the rifle, and reptile
cody:
q" You betl' and dropped to tn
ground and disappeared
Not a mitred head lost its dignity
appreciating the humor of the stor,
There was a painful silence for a me
ment. Then one member of the so
elm hierarchy said:
What does git mean, bishop?'
why, git is American for get an
means go away be off,
All, 1 see, replied the Englisf
man.
Then another Britisher asked:
And what, pray, does you be
mean?"
That said Bishop Whipple, with
smile, lis a slang phrase meaning, {
course or that the proposition is S
sure that you can bet on it.
"Ah, very clevah, indeed" said al
other Anglican, but what queer wore
you Americans make use of. Do yo
all talk that way?"-St. Paul Pione'
Press.
Make it clear as sunlight that. whe
you demand some article advertised
this paper, you want precisely that art
Gle, and nothing else.