"Gie me the mane, then," the laird directed stolidly. "I must een hae something to hold on."
So, presently, when he had the tail firmly grasped in both hands, and Sandy had mounted, the procession began to move. Whereat, the laird shouted in dismay:
"Haud on, Sandy! It"s gaein" the wrang way!"
OUTWORN
Tiny Clara heard her mother say that a neighboring lady had a new baby.
The tot puzzled over the matter, and at last sought additional information:
"Oh, mumsy, what is she going to do with her old one?"
PARADOX
The amiable old lady was overheard talking to herself as she left the church along with the crowd that had attended the services:
"If everybody else would only do as I do, and stay quietly in their seats till everyone else has gone out, there would not be such a crush at the doors."
Two friends from Ireland on a tour occupied the same bedchamber in a country inn. During the night a fearful storm raged. John spoke of it in the morning while the two men were dressing.
"Did it rain?" Dennis asked in surprise.
"Rain!" John exclaimed. "It was a deluge, and the lightnin" was blindin"
and the thunder was deafenin". Sure, I never heard the like."
"For the love of Hivvin!" Dennis cried out. "Why didn"t yez waken me?
Didn"t yez know I never can slape whin it thunders!"
PASTORAL
Burdette quotes as follows a year"s statistics of parochial work, as compiled by a young curate:
"Preached 104 sermons, 18 mortuary discourses, solemnized 21 hymeneal ceremonies, delivered 17 lectures, of which 16 were on secular and all the rest on religious subjects; made 39 addresses, of which all but 27 were on matters most nearly touching the vital religious concerns of the church, read aloud in church 156 chapters of the Bible, 149 of which were very long ones; made pastoral calls, 312; took tea on such occasions, 312 times; distributed 804 tracts; visited the sick several times; sat on the platform at temperance and other public meetings 47 times; had the headache Sabbath mornings, and so was compelled to appear in a condition of physical pain, nervous prostration and bodily distress that utterly unfitted him for public preaching, 104 times; picnics attended, 10; dinners, 37; suffered from attacks of malignant dyspepsia, 37 times; read 748 hymns; instructed the choir in regard to the selection of tunes, 1 time; had severe cold, 104 times; sore throat, 104 times; malaria, 104 times; wrote 3120 pages of sermons; declined invitations to tea, 1 time; started the tune in prayer meeting, 2 times; started the wrong tune, 2 times; sung hymns that n.o.body else knew, 2 times; received into church membership, 3; dismissed by letter, 49; expelled, 16; lost, strayed, or stolen, 137."
PATRIOTISM
The Scotchman returned to his native town, Peebles, after a first visit to London. He told the neighbors enthusiastically of his many wonderful experiences in the metropolis. There was, however, no weakening in his local loyalty, for at the end he cried out proudly:
"But, for real pleasure, gi"e me Peebles!"
There is no doubting the strong patriotism of the schoolboy who is the hero of this tale, although he may have been weak on history. During an examination in general history, he was asked:
"Who was the first man?"
He answered proudly, even enthusiastically, without any hesitation:
"George Washington, first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts----"
But the teacher interrupted ruthlessly:
"Wrong! Adam was the first man."
The boy sniffed disgustedly.
"Oh!" he retorted. "I didn"t know you were talking about foreigners."
The troops had been marching through a sea of mud for hours, when at last they were lined up for inspection before a general. In the evolution, a young cavalryman who had enlisted was thrown from his horse into the muck, from which he emerged in a dreadful state, though uninjured except in his feelings. The general himself, who had witnessed the incident, rode up, and preserving his gravity with some effort inquired of the trooper if he had suffered any hurt from the fall.
"Naw," was the disgusted reply. "But if I ever love a country agin, you can kick _me_!"
PEACE
The mourning widow caused a tender sentiment to be chiseled on the headstone of her husband"s grave. The exact wording was as follows:
"Thou are at rest, until we meet again."
PEACEMAKER
The father was telling at the table of a row between two men in which he had interfered. One had swung a shovel aloft, shouting, "I"ll knock your brains out!"
"It was at this moment," the head of the family explained, "that I stepped in between them."
Little Johnnie had been listening, round-eyed with excitement. Now, he burst forth:
"I guess he couldn"t knock any brains out of you, could he, pa?"
PENSION
The usual details in administration of the pension laws are not amusing, but occasionally even here a bit of humor creeps in to relieve the tedium. Thus, John Smith, claimant under Invalid Original No.
98,325,423, based his application for succor upon an "injury to leg due to the kick of a vicious horse" in the service and line of duty, etc.
This was formally insufficient, and the bureau advised to claimant to this effect, directing him to state: "which leg was injured by the alleged kick of a vicious horse."
The reply came promptly: