The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-03

him 50 formidable an antagonist IN the
village Witenagemot, and the ferocious.
impatient expression of his smooth, ruddy
cOuntenance fenced in as 1t was by a
short, curly, white beard, brought more
than one well informed debater to a
stammering conclusion in much more
eHectual manner than a calmly reasoned
exposition from a more authoritative
source could possibly have done. 1t
sometimes happened that a scrupulously
fair minded opponent, with labored ut
terance and demonstrating manner,
sought to hold him tightly to the point
at issuc, but the futility of the effort was
only equaled by the thankIess reception
# received at the hands OF a jeering au-
dience rendered partial by long usage,
and the invariable result was that the
beW1ldered opponent had to retire in ag-
grieved disgust from the unequal con-
Hict to reappear on some future occasion
an interested spectator Of the very drama
In which he had played so sorry part.
There was somewhat of a malicious
genius in the man who had caused it at
one time to be whispered abroad that
John Morgan was unable to read that to
him the writing of an eplstle was an un-
known art, and that the weekly news
paper which came addressed to John
Morgan, Esquire, was, so far as his
ability to peruSe 1t was concerned sim
and, furthermore. that it was due to the
scholarly attainments of his little grand
enid OF twelve that he was able to CLEAN
from the print the miscellany Of broken
1acts upon which he founded his argu-
ments. Only genius could have con-
celved so preposterous a notion and one
so much at variance with the onipion
universally entertained concerrIpo ToI,,
Morgan and his attainments. Read nIain
English! Now had it been I,atin-and
with reference to tbs malicious rurnor he
had been heard to suggest. merely 70
suggest or TO hint vaguely that. as he
hl1i.E1II ~ expressed 1t. ''he might be abe
to take bits out Of the Latin, too
mere was no denying the fact bou,-
ever, that great as was the c,,rio.i+,, "
near him read, actually to observe hin,
spell out and repeat the news. word for
word as set down IN the PAPER. no ona
rad ever. so far as was known I,aep
able to observe him accomplish the feat
1heTe was tale told of hinl-and his Dc
tractors made of 1t what could be made
that one day as he sat with the news
paper ostentatiously spread out I'm front
Of him near nelghbor of an inquisitfve
turn of mind desired tc be told the -nevys
OF the day. 1t was known to the inter.
roSator that the alleged assistant or
tender years was absent. and there was
that in his eye which seemed to indicate
q malicious expectancy For the moment
John Morgan was nonplussed. but quick
ly recovering himself he lay back in his
chair, and. In 4 tone IN which sympathy
Tor the untoward events was blended
with restrained satisfaction at being
able TO reCite the tale of them, replied :
on, wrecks. George. shipwrecks on all
hands; It's peetiful. It's peetifuI" The
print which his eyes were devouring with
so much avidity. and from which he pro-
fessedly was cleaning the distressing in
telligence. was held by him upside down
and consequently the pictorial represer-
tations of steamers and sailing ships. by
means OF which enterprising shipping
companies are wont to attract the public,
attention, were naturally upside down as
well, and the worthy mans conclusion