Year: 1871

!
service found his steamer some thirty
miles out Of her course. He was
sorely troubled, and could not account
for the local attraction that had sent
him so far out of the way. Instru-
ments and calculations appeared
equally faultless. Sorely troubled,
from having passed sleepless night
the captain went on deck after break
fast Seeing lady sitting Gas was her
custom) and working near the binna-
Gle, it occurred to him that probably
her scissors were resting on the ledge
of it. Detecting nothing Of the sort,
and bent OIL closer investigation, he
discovered that her chair had an iron
frame. 1t also, quite reasonably,
flashed across him that the lady's am
pie crinoline was extended by steel
hoops. So, mastering all his faculties,
he exclaimed, with as much forgive
ness and as little reproach in his tone
as possible, MADAM, you have, by
your local attraction, drawn my ship
some forty miles from her course P'


On a certain occasion the counsel
took some exception to the ruling of
the court to some point, and dispute
arose.


IF the court please said the coun-
sci, 81 wish to refer to this book for q
moment and at the same time picked
up volume.


There is no referring to any book
exclaimed the court angrily. 4 have
decided the pint


But, your Honor persisted the
attorney. .


Now, 1 don't want to hear anything
on the subject yelled the court. 4
tell you again that l have decided the
pint


I know that was the rejoinder,I am
satisfied Of that; but this is volume
of Blackstone. l am certain he differs
with your Honor, and l only wanted
to show you what fool Blackstone
was


'Ah, indeed exclaimed the court,
now you begin to talk


The Emperor Nicholas evidently
took a different view of fool-hardy ex-
posures of life from what many people
do nowadays. One morning in spring,
when freshet of the Neva had rend-
cred its crossing extremely perilous,
Nicholas, on looking from the window
of his winter palace, saw large crowd
watching a man leaping from one piece
of ice to another toward the opposite
shore. He called his attendant aidde-
camp.


"Look at that fool" said he. "Run
and see what motive he has for so ex"
posing his life."


The aidde-camp learned the partic-
tflars and returned.


"Sre, he is peasant who has bet he
would cross the Neva for twenty
rubles, and is trying to gain the re-
ward"


"Give him twenty-five lashes," re-
piled Nicholas. "a man who risk
his life in this miserable way would be
capable Of anything for money"


A St. Louis gentleman who employs
a Coolie as a domestic servant finds
that the paganism of the Chinuman is
his greatest fault. The other morning
the family, including the Coolie, were
gathered into the sitting room for
prayers. When the exercises were
over, it was ascertained that the Coolie
had been worshipping an old.fashion-
ed brass and iron in the fireplace. He
mistook it for an idol, and had offered
it two dead rats, and he began his re-
ligious exercises out of a prayer-book
in seventy-four volumes and supple
ment. He spends four hours day in
front of that andiron saying his cate
chism, and the impression throughout
the neighborhood is, that if anything
can be done with brass andiron in
the way of securing the Chinese idea
of felicitous hereafter, that persistent
Coolie will do it.


The French habit of counting chick
ems before they are hatched is strongly
illustrated by the action of French
prisoner of war, at Hamburg. He
was an officer who had been very
kindly treated by the family with
whom he was quartered, and on leav-
ing for his own country wishing to ex-
press his gratitude to his hosts, he left
with them sealed envelope, to be
opened after his departure, 1t was
found to contain n letter to the future
French Commander Of Hamburg
(when it should have been conquered
by the French begging him to treat
the aforesaid family as considerably as
they had treated the writer.


There is considerable discussion and
excitement in Chicago concerning the
Sunday liquor traffic. The City Coun-
ell, day or two after the great peace
celebration, repealed the ordinance
making it illegal to keep saloons open
on Sunday, but the Indignation ex.
pressed at this action was so great that
it was reconsid6red and the ordinance
re-enacted. Following this meetings
were held by citizens of German birth
and resolutions adopted protesting
against the ordinance and denying tho
right of the Council, under the State
Constitution, to make the sale of beer
on Sunday illegal. The political
aspect Of the question renders it the