Year: 1878




The telegraph office-I do rot un-
derstand you, SIR


Il wish to send messages to friends
at those points.


Well, sir, know of no other wsy
than to send them than through the
post-office here.


DO you mean to say there Is no tel
esraph line from here to New York !?


My dear sir, what do you mean by
atelegraph line?


"A telegraph line-a line of wire on
which, can send messages by means of
electricity.


Il fear something is wrong with you
SIR said the gentleman, gravely. No
such thing exists. No such thing ca n
exist


Nonsenser said Ephraim, waxing
indignant. How do you suppose the
afternoon papers to-day will get the
quotations of the Liverpool markets
of to-day? How will the brokers
learn to-day the price of securities at
the meeting OF the London stock ex-
change this morning?


'You are speaking very wildly SIR
said the gentleman, stepping close to
Ephraim and using low tone while
the crowd laughed. sYou must be
more careful, or persons will regard
you as insane


'Insanel Whyl Because tell you
what every body knows, that we get
cable news from Europe every day p


Gable news! Cable bewsI What
does the old fool mean ? now shouted
the crowd.


sWhat do I mean?' exclaimed Eph-
rain, in passion, mean that you
are pack of idiots for pretending to
believe that there is no such thing as q
telegraph, and no such thing as cable
to Europe


The crowd set up shont of derisive
laughter, and rushed at him as if to
use him roughly. The gentleman to
whom he had spoken, seized him by
the arm and hurried him away. When
they had turned a corner, the man
stopped and said to Ephraim:


You appear to be sane man, al
though you speak SO strangely Let
me warn you to be more careful in
the future. If you should be taken up
as madman and consigned to a mad
house, you would endure terrible suf-
fering and find it very difficult to Sc
cure your release


L am perfectly sane,' replied Eph-
rain, and 1 cannot think why you
think what have said strange.
wanted my letters, and wished in
their absence to correspond by tele-
graph, because am expecting a cargo
of wheat to-day which am to ship to
Liverpool by steamer


by steamerl There you go again.
Nobody can know what you mean by
steamer


-Bteomerl Gtoonnship! a ship that
crosses the ocean by steam-without
sails. You know what that is, certain
lyP


Il have heard some talk about rat
tle-trap invention which used steam to
make little boat paddle about on the
river here but as for crossing the
ocean-well, my dear cir, that is too
ridiculousY


Ridiculous! Why


Pardon me, see you are incorri-
gible; must bid you good morning.
and he walked away.


sWell, wellp exclaimed Ephraim,
standing still and looking after him
helplessly it's queer-very queer. 1
don't begin to understand it all. am
half inclined to think that the world
has conspired to make game of me, or
else my poor wits really are astray.
don't feel as certain of them as clear
headed men really should.
While he spoke, the bells of the city
rang out an alarm of fire with tremen-
dous clangor, and in few minutes he
saw dashing past him an old fashioned
hand engine, pulled by score or two
of men who held a rope. The burn
ing building was not many hundred
yards distant from Ephraim, and he
felt an inclination to see il. When
he reached the scene, men with leath-
ern buckets were pouring water into
the engine. while other men were
forcing the handles up and down,
with the result that thin stream fell
upon the mass of burning fame.
He had an impulse to ask somebody
why the steam fre-engiEes were not
in use but every one seemed excited
and busy, and then he remembered
what his friend had said to him about
steamers. So he expressed his con-
tempt for the stupidity of these people
in few muttered calculations; and
then suddenly bethought himself of
his business.


He resolved to go down 10 the
wharf where he expected to ship his
cargo, and to ascertain what the situ-
alton was there.


AS he came near to the place he saw
that it had changed since he last saw
it; but handsome ship lay at the
dock, and men were carrying bags of
grain aboard of her.


sThat must be my CARGO he said,
but what on earth do they mean by
loading it in that manner, and upon q
sailing vessel?'


He approached the man who seemed
to be experimenting the work, and
said


SIS this Ephraim Batterby's wheat?


The man looked at him in surprise