The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-29
Smashed The Wrong Hat.

smashed me wrong HAT.
A man went into a Lewiston store
the other day and they played the hat
trick on him, says the Lewiston Jour
nal.
This is one of those gentle and artis-
tic tricks that makes a man feel just
as though he had lot of friends who
didn't love him one bit. friend of
yours for instance-one of those dear
friends from whom you just as soon
borrow money as not-comes along
and in a playful way grabs your hat
off your head and seems to dash it to
the floor and with loud ha-has and
yells of laughter in which you cannot
join, proceeds to jump on your hat,
and kick it all over the floor and in
vite his friends to do the same.
You manage to articulate that folks
seem to have different views of a joke.
Perhaps some people might think that
this was funny, but you'll be pardoned
for begging leave to differ with such
distinguished authorities-all so polite
ly If you can manage to find words
for the language. The more you say,
the more the fresh people jump and
yell and kick the hat around They
draw off and haste it. They tear it limb
When you are just about ready to grab
on and take a bite out OF the back of
someone's vest, the principal joker
passes up TO you your own hat un-
touched, and shows you that the cady
that they have been Walloping was a
dummy out of the wastebox in the
back alley, produced for the purpose.
The Lewiston man went out of the
shop full of glee after he got his hat
EN1C
all around and was very comfortable
with the good joke tucked away for
keeps.
We went over to Bangor recently and
While there he went into a cigar store
and told how they worked this trick
IN Lewiston. Every one seemed inn
pressed with the rare and beautiful
conception of true humor in Lewiston.
One man remarked that it was a wise
guy that beat out the gang in Lewis
ton when it came to a joke They
might be slow in Bangor, but they
We're always willing to take lessons in
swiftness especially when they knew
that the pacemaker was the real thing.
Ii it was their duty to try the joke
and thus follow in the way that they
should go, why all right.
SO wheE the victim was lured in by
the Lewiston man, in the person of a
well-known Bangor friend of his who
is a good dresser and prizes his hat
next to his wife, it was agreed that the
best thing ever pulled off in sport in
the town was about to occur. 1t was
arranged that the Lewiston man
should grab the hat and pass it up to
one of his confederates and that the
confederate should make the exchange
for the old hat. Every one was to
heller dramatically when the Lewiston
man clutched at the hat of the Ban
Sor man, and every one was to work
like river driver in jumping on the
hat.
II all happened just as advertised.
The Lewiston man sided up to his
friend and grabbed the hat. With
whoop and yell like a mad man, he
clutched at the lid and tore it from the
mans head. The pass was made with
confidence, and the Lewiston man took
the hat and slammed it to the floor.
He kicked it and he invited others to
do so. The dust arose from the scene
of battle. The Bangor friend did his
best to prevent the slaughter. He
pleaded and he fought, but all too late.
And when it was over he ruefully look
ed at it.
And so did the Lewiston man. For
when the tile was secured in it's ruins
aALu ll1e I'LL Was UIOuSul UdCh 1EUHl
the corner and Joined to the crown in
the middle of the floor the Lewiston
man noticed that the hat seemed to
have been a pretty good one. Instead
OF a back-alley waste-box derby, it
seemed to be a Dunlap with hand
some silver monogram in the inside
and the name of a Washington street
(Boston) halter in the inside.
In vain the man who was holding
the old hat insisted that it was not his
mistake. He had, tried to make the
exchange, but the Lewiston man was
in too much of a hurry. He didn't
get the chance. All of the Bangor
crowd stood around and held on to
their sides and wept tears of laughter,
declaring that of all jokes the hat
trick certainly was the best, and when
Mr.. Lewiston pulled his roll and set
tied IS for the hat and so cents for ex-
press he had to admit that it was in
all the most beautiful example of
Lewiston and Bangor humor that he
had seen since the days of his child
hood.