The St. Johns herald., 1901-07-20
GOOD Short Stories

Tn a bank in Philadelphia is display ed prominently this sign: "Gentlemen will please not smoke in this building" To which somebody, evidently a lover of the weed, annoyed by the manners of the clerks, has appended: Tt makes the clerks sour and envious."
 On one of Queen VictOria's earliest visits to London she observed to her friend, the then Earl of AIbemarle- "I wonder if my good people of London are as glad to see me as I am to see them." He pointed to the letters V. R. woven into the decorations, and said- Your majesty can see their loyal cock ney answer, We are.'"
 Here is a characteristic letter which Andrew Carnegie is said to have re- ce1ved from Mark Twain the other day: Dear MT. Carnegie: Understanding that you are blessed at present with an unusual surplus of income, and knowing we'll your generous spirit and desire to do good to those who will help themselves, I want to ask you to make me a contribution of one dollar and fifty cents. When I was a young man my mother gave me a hymn-bOOk which I faithfully used. It is now. thanks to my efforts, worn out, and think 1t should be replaced, and you are the man to do this. Approaching to the full the generous deeds that have made your name illustrious in this and other countries, and believing that in making me this donation you will be carrying on the spirit of your work, l am yours faithfully, Mark Twain F. S.-DOn't send the hymn-boOk: send the one dollar and fifty cents. M. T."
 When England's heir apparent, the Duke of Cornwall and York, then known as Prince George" was doing his sea service, he was stationed some time at Halifax, and he used to run out into the surrounding country on little expeditions. He was returning on one occasion by train from a flying trip to a nearby village when Senator Thomas A. Temple of York County, New Brunswick, who is known as a rather pompous individual, encountered him. The senator espied the prince sitting in the smoker surrounded by a pile of newspapers, and wearing his undress naval uniform, the cap of which bore some resemblance to that worn by the uniformed train boy. Here, boyp' called the senator, sharp ly; "give me a paper" The young prince looked up and quietly handed the lawmaker one of his papers The senator fished out two of the eumbrOus Canadian coppers and held them out. The prince took them gravely and laid them on the seat beside him. The sen ator's confusion can be imagined when, a few hours later, he learned the iden- tity of the "newsboy" upon his arrival at Halifax.
 In the course of a lecture in the Town Hall at AstOn-underL Lyne, England, the late Henry George put his audience in roars of laughter when he remarked- '"The man who owns the land, owns the air as well. There has been only one attempt that I have ever heard of to make air separate property. Near Strasburg, in Germany, about the twelfth or thirteenth century, there was convent of monks, who put up a windmill. One of the lords in the would be called robbers now-fnding he could not get any tribute from them, set up claim to the ownership of the air, and when they put up their windmill, said: .An the wind in these parts belongs to me- The monks sent in hot haste to the bishop. and told him of this claim The bishop got up on his hind legs and cursed in ecclesiastical language He said the baron was a son of Beliai; that he did not own the wind in that province; that all the wind that blew over it belonged to Mother Church; and that if the baron did not take back his demand for rent he would launch with bell. book and candle the curse of Rome. Mir. Baron backed down But if he had owned the land he would not have needed to set up claim 10 the wind. Men cannot breathe the air unless they have land to stand on
 His Trip AwheeL