The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-05
SMART SHORT STORIES.

| One Sunday the minister of a small
Northern country parish church had the
| misfortune to forget his sermon, and did
not discover his loss till he reached the
| church. Suddenly an idea struck him.
He sent for John, the beadIe and in
structed him to give out the One Hun
dred and Nineteenth Psalm Containing
JIG verses, while he hurried home for
his sermon. On his journey back to
church he saw the faithful beadle stand
ing at the church door. waving his arms
and urging him to hurry. On reaching
the door he exclaimed: Are they all
singing yet John?" "Ay, SIR replied
John, they're cheepir' like sparries."
James Russell Lowell studied law and
took an office, but never had a case at
court. Rev. Edward Everett Hale some
times tells. however, the story Of Low
ellis first client. The poet had laid aside
his law book for the nonce and was pol
ishing off a sonnet when the door opened
and a strange man appeared, with look
of doubt or trouble in his eyes Lowell
hastily hid the sonnet in a pocket,
sprang up with all the alacrity of cOur-
tesy he could command, offered a chair
to the visitor, took his hat and put il on
the table with as much reverence as if
! it were a retainer, drew up a chair OppO
site, pulled cut a brand new notebook,
anu Wa lII HIS pCIlCLl III q SUI
confidential way, began: ''Well, sir, 1
am all ready TO take notes of your case.
Please tell me everything, even the most
trivial circumstance" The stranger
stared at him with open mouth for a
minute, then grinned most amicabIy, as
he answered: I'm the painter of your
sign, sir, come to get my little BILL
A newly engaged clerk in the employ
of the Standard Oil company was sent
to work in a small room that contained
a health-lift. Every morning at about 10
O'Clock when this clerk was particularly
busy with figures, a small, black-mus-
tached man, quiet and ditfident in man
ner, entered. said Good morning. walk
ed on tiptoe to the corner, and exercised
for a quarter Of an hour. 1t became a
bore to the clerk, who at last, one day,
remarked with considerable heat to the
stranger: 'How do you expect me to do
my work properly while you are fooling
with that blasted machine? I'm getting
tired of it. Why don't you put 1t where
1t won't worry a person to death?" 81 am
very sorry it annoyS you" said the
stranger flushing: 81 will have ii removed
at once" A porter took it away within
an hour. A few days later the clerk was
sent for by Mr.. Flagler, whom he found
in earnest conversation with the small,
black-muStached man. The latter smiled
at seeing him, gave F'lagler some In
structions and left the ROOM ''WilI you
tell me who that gentleman is?" the
young man asked, a light beginning to
break upon him. THAT was Mr.. Rookie
Teller" was the reply. 1t was the clerk S
first acquaintance with the head OF the
great corporation by which he was en-
ployed.
NJ Monnier, the well known French
Asiatic traveller vouches for the truth of
the following story of how his friend. Hop
Sing, travelled Oriental and man OF
means and refinement. was on one occa-
sion sorely victimized. Hop Sing lived
in the Street of the Roasted Corn, as I'M
savory and as ill-paved a street as any
in all PelIin. The local mandarin was
an intimate friend of his. ard Hop Sing
awaited himself of this friendship to press
the mandarin to have the street repaved.
Certainly! AT once. The men would be
at work on it before Hop Sing had re-
turned home. a week passed; then an
other visit, and so on, until, in despair.
Hop Sing determined to have the street