Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-05-11

>>& z
Henry James was once praising the
work of fellow author. you are very
kind to him." said some one present
"for he says very unpleasant things
about your work" "Ah," said Mr.,
| James, ''but then both of us may be
| wrong"
At time of crisis in foreign affairs,
the Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess
of Teck, was seated at dinner next Mr..
Disraeli. She was anxious to under
stand the apparent inaction Of the gov
ernment, and asked him suddenly,
'What are we waiting for?" He took
up the menu, glanced at 1t, and gravely
replied: Mutton and potatoes. ma'am." !"
During the Franco-Prussian war a
well-known English correspondent was
| sent to the front by his paper, and on
one occasion Won Moltke sent for him
and said: "Mr. -, on such and such
day the German army will perform
such and such a movement. If that
dppSdIS Tie \1dAAihS thS Po
per- "you will be shot" The news did
not appear.
Sir Augustus Harris once settled the
pitch. question in his own offhand fash
ion. A famous prima donna Of his
| opera company came to him complain
ing that the plano used for vocal re-
hearsals was too high, and asking that
,f<~I~ FOL iv,1vy vra-
piled Druriolanus, with bow; 'here,
Forsyth, have a couple Of inches sawn
off the legs Of this piano."
Prince Hohenlohe Is a strong advo-
cate Of Emperor Williams scheme for
a great ship canal which will connect
the interior Of Germany with the ocean.
In discussing the subject with one Of
the agrarian mobiles, who opposes the
project, the latter said: "Your excel
lency, you will find the opposition to
be a rock in the path Of your canal"
The princes eyes twinkled as he re-
torted, "We'll initiate the PROP het
Moses, smite the rock, and then the
water will fow."
The late Archbishop of York CDR.
Magee) made an eloquent speech In the
House Of Lords in opposition to Glad
stones bill for the disestablishment of
the Irish church. Incidentally he said
that he "could not regard it as consist
ent with the salvation of his immortal
soul to vote for the bill" A moment
later, one peer who was coming into
the house inquired of another who was
going out: "Who is on his feet noww
The outgoing peer, who stammered, re-
piled: Archbishop M-M-Magee IS
t-t-talking against the d-d-d-disestab-
lishment of the Irish church" what
does he sayT" HE says he'll be
d-d-d-d If he votes for the bill"
When Representative Gibson, of Ten
nessee, was speaking In Congress one
day recently, 1t was observed that q
member sitting in neighboring chair
was fast asleep, This occurrence was
not unusual but for q man who speaks
rs loud as Mr.. Gibson to have a sleep
ling neighbor seemed to his political op-
ponents a good joke. So one Of them
interrupted Mr.. Gibson to report that
somebody near him was sleeping and
to suggest that he should speak a lit
tie louder. Mr.. Gibson, who is men,
Der Of the pension committee, promptly
retorted, as he turned toward his sleep
ing colleague, eff he cannot hear me he
ought to have pension for deafness."'
Several stories Of the quick wit and
brilliant repartee Of Mrs. Craigie
cJohn Oliver Hobbes'C are told in
FHnvsfoo ruorvh0dv h.,
old story Of how Mrs. Van Rensselaer,
Cruger said she would prefer to be
kissed to death, and how, when she
was pointed out to Mrs. Craigie at the
opera, that lady said: "She will never
find an executioner." The sequel, how
ever, Is not SO generally known. A re-
ception was given for Mrs. Craigie, and
Mrs. Cruger wrote to decline, adding
that she would not express regret that
she already had an engagement as it
so frequently proved disillusioning to
meet authors after having read their
works. On being shown the note Mrs.
Craigie remarked that, "having read
the works of Mrs. Cruger, one could
not possibly be disillusioned In meeting
her." Mrs. Craigie's verdict on ''The
Quick or the DeadT' was that the
reader was distinctly de trop. She was
asked what she thought Of the passage
where the heroine returns to her home
after an interval Of two years, finds
half-smoked cigar where her husband
had left it, picks it up and kisses 1t pas
sionately. Mrs. Craigie was asked If
she thought 1t true to life. "WeIl, hard
ly," she replied, 'the woman who
would have done that would have
eaten It"
A defective stomach keeps more pei