Holbrook argus. (Holbrook, Ariz.) 1900-1913, 1901-09-28
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GOOD
Short Stories


Phillips Brooks once gave new YER
sion of the Jonah story to wonder
ing skeptic. who said he doubted wheth-
er whales throat was large enough
to swallow Jonah. ''1 here was no diff
Guilty." said the Bishop, Jonah was
one of the Minor Prophets"
In the days when 6arnum's Museum
was in the height dC its popularity in
New York, it was the custom of many
people to bring their wives, children,
and lunch baskets, and make day OF
it. This was not In accordance with
Barnum's view OF profitable way to
conduct a museura. One Saturday,
when the army of picnickers were over
crowding the show and keeping others
out, a brilliant idea occurred to Bar
mum. On a huge canvas he painted
the word "Egress" in immense letters
of green. This he placed over door
way, and Immediately attracted the at
tentfon of the crowd, which was just
about to settle down for lunch.
"Egress, egressr' cried the visitors;
"faithl that's an animal we haven't
see" "They found that ANIMAL" said
Barnum, telling the story, tout in the
street."
Many years ago, when Henry La
bouchere was appointed to a diplomatic
post somewhere in Europe, the British
foreign Office found that he was not
at his post when he should have been.
On, Inn irin
the new attache was at Berlin, many
miles from his official destination; and
his explanation was that, as he was not
allowed travelling expenses and was not
rich, he was walking to his Office, and
would reach the shores Of the Bos-
phorus in due course. That was Lab
by's" way of protesting against the
non-payment of travelling expenses. His
protest against pompOsity was just as
original. 1t was pompous individual
who called to see the British minister
at Washington, D. c., when "Labby"
was there. The minister was out, and
the caller insisted on waiting. Then
pray take a chair" said the attache.
After half an hour the pompous man
grew impatient, and asked when tie
minister was expected back. 81 don't
know" said "Labby;" "he left for Eu-
rope this morning"
Some amusing instances of transla-
tors misunderstanding are mentioned
by the London Daily News. An Ital-
ian paper not long ago turned Kip
ling's "Absent-AIinded Beggar" into
DISTRACTED Mendicant." a foot-note
to the same version explained ''son Of
a Lambeth publican" as reference to
Mr.. Kruger!. Another Italian editor,
who translated passage from an Eng
fish paper about man who had killed
his wife with a poker, added an ingen-
uous foot-note to say: I'VE do not
know with certainty whether this
thing, 'pokero,' be a domestic or surgi-
cal Instrument" In the French YER
sion of one of Scott's novels, a Welsh
rabbit has to be dealt with. The trans
latOr, never having met with that arti-
Gle of food, naturally turned it into 'un
lapin de Gales" and in foot-note ex-
planned that the peculiarly delicious
AlNOL Va I1C 1dOOlIo VI w ol4Co CISdlSu
a large demand for them in Scotland,
whittier they were exported in bulk
that would compare with the trade of
Ostend. The desperate expedient of the
French translator Of Cooper's Spy"
who had to explain how q horse could
be hitched ''to a locust" is also worth
recalling. He had never heard of a
locust-tree, and rendered the word by
''sauterelle," or grasshopper. Feeling
that this needed some explanation, he
appended a foot-note explaining that
grasshoppers. grew to a gigantic size
in the United States, and that it was
the custom to place a stuffed specimen
at the door of every considerable man
sion for the convenience of visitors,
who hitched their horses to it.