Year: 1878

One night during the recent troubles
in the Pennsylvania coal regions, Judge
Potts brother, Thomas Potts, was
round at a meeting of the mine owners,
and after the adjournment he stepped
into tavern. While there, he met
some friends, aid in the course of an
hour or two he got very intoxicated
On his way home he lost his hat, and a
miner, who knew him, feeling compass
sion for him, clapped on his head a
miners hat: and, in order to make the
dark street look brighter, he lighted the
lamp In front of the hat. When Potts
reached the house his wife had gone to
bed, and the lights were out; but Potts
felt certain the lamp was burning IN the
hall, but he couldn't for the life of him
tell where it was.


He looked at the regular lamp and it
seemed to be out; then hunted in every
direction for the light, but he was una
bic to find it, although it seemed to
shine brightly wherever he went
Presently he happened to stop in front
of the mirror in the hat rack, and then
he saw precisely where the light was.-
After brief objurgation upon Mrs.
Potts for leaving light in such place
he went up to the mirror and tried to
blow it out He blew and blew, but
somehow the 1amo burned as steadily
as before.


THAT" said Potts, sis the most e.
traor nary lamps ever been my misfor-
| time e encounter"


Then he took off his coat, and, hold
ing it in front Of him, crept cautiously
up to the mirror. and tried to crush the
coat over the lamp, which still burned
brightly. lie said:


That's cert'inly very extra'noryl-
Moz 'stonishin' circumstanz ever come
un'er my observation. Don'o how TO
count for i'll"


1t occurred to him, that perhaps he
might smash the lamp with All umbrel
la Seizing the weapon, he went up to
the hat, and, aiming terrible blow ut
the light, he bought the umbrella down.
He missed, and smashed his Sunday hat
into chaos. lie took aim again, and
caught the umbrella in the lamp over
head, bringing it down with crash
Then he trieda third time, and plunged
the ferrule of the umbrella through the
mirror, smashing it to atoms. He felt
exultant for moment, as the light dis
appeared from his vision, but he was
perplexed to find there was another light
somewhere, he did not know exactly
where. So he sat down on the stairs
and remarked:


''Moz stonishin' circumstanz ever
come un'er my observation. Whaten
thunder doz it mean anyhow? Lights
gone, an vets shininl Perfectly in
comprehensive Wish to gracious Mrs.
Potts'd wake up an 'splain it. Durn 4
know what bad better dol'


Then Potts took off his hat TO scratch
his head, in the hope that he might scare
up an idea, and the truth flashed upon
him. Gazing at the lamp for amoment,
until he drank in full conception of
the trouble it had caused him, he sud-
denly smashed it down on the floor in
rage, and extinguished 1t after covering
two yards of carpet with grease. Then
he went To bed. and in the morning Mrs.
Potts informed him that some Of those
horrible miners had broken into the
house the night before, and left one Of
their hats with lamp. Potts turned
over in bed SD that she could not see his
face, and said if the stern hand of the
law wasn't laid upon those ruilians soon,
nobodyis life would be safe.-Gree,
Mountain Freeman.