Coyote their
candidate for the Grizzly Bearship; but whether he
ever obtained the office history does not relate.
The Honest Citizen
A POLITICAL Preferment, labelled with its price, was canvassing the
State to find a
purchaser. One day it offered itself to a Truly
Good Man, who, after examining the label and
finding the price was
exactly twice as great as he was
willing to pay, spurned the
Political Preferment from his door. Then the People said: "Behold,
this is an honest citizen!" And the Truly Good Man humbly
confessed that it was so.
A Creaking Tail
AN American Statesman who had twisted the tail of the British Lion
until his arms ached was at last rewarded by a sharp, rasping
sound.
"I knew your
fortitude would give out after a while," said the
American Statesman,
delighted; "your agony attests my political
power."
"Agony I know not!" said the British Lion, yawning; "the swivel in
my tail needs a few drops of oil, that is all."
Wasted Sweets
A CANDIDATE canvassing his district met a Nurse wheeling a Baby in
a
carriage, and, stooping, imprinted a kiss upon the Baby's clammy
muzzle. Rising, he saw a Man, who laughed.
"Why do you laugh?" asked the Candidate.
"Because," replied the Man, "the Baby belongs to the Orphan
Asylum."
"But the Nurse," said the Candidate - "the Nurse will surely relate
the
touchingincidentwherever she goes, and perhaps write to her
former master."
"The Nurse," said the Man who had laughed, "is an
inmate of the
Institution for the Illiterate-Deaf-and-Dumb."
Six and One
THE Committee on Gerrymander worked late,
drawingintricate lines
on a map of the State, and being weary sought
repose in a game of
poker. At the close of the game the six Republican members were
bankrupt and the single Democrat had all the money. On the next
day, when the Committee was called to order for business, one of
the luckless six mounted his legs, and said:
"Mr. Chairman, before we bend to our noble task of purifying
politics, in the interest of good government I wish to say a word
of the untoward events of last evening. If my memory serves me the
disasters which
overtook the Majority of this
honourable body
always
befell when it was the Minority's deal. It is my solemn
conviction, Mr. Chairman, and to its affirmation I
pledge my life,
my fortune, and my
sacred honour, that that
wicked and unscrupulous
Minority redistricted the cards!"
The Sportsman and the Squirrel
A SPORTSMAN who had wounded a Squirrel, which was making desperate
efforts to drag itself away, ran after it with a stick, exclaiming:
"Poor thing! I will put it out of its misery."
At that moment the Squirrels stopped from
exhaustion, and looking
up at its enemy, said:
"I don't
venture to doubt the
sincerity of your
compassion, though
it comes rather late, but you seem to lack the
faculty of
observation. Do you not
perceive by my actions that the dearest
wish of my heart is to continue in my misery?"
At this
exposure of his
hypocrisy, the Sportsman was so overcome
with shame and
remorse that he would not strike the Squirrel, but
pointing it out to his dog, walked
thoughtfully away.
The Fogy and the Sheik
A FOGY who lived in a cave near a great
caravan route returned to
his home one day and saw, near by, a great concourse of men and
animals, and in their midst a tower, at the foot of which something
with wheels smoked and panted like an exhausted horse. He sought
the Sheik of the Outfit.
"What sin art thou committing now, O son of a Christian dog?" said
the Fogy, with a truly Oriental politeness.
"Boring for water, you black-and-tan galoot!" replied the Sheik of
the Outfit, with that ready repartee which distinguishes the
Unbeliever.
"Knowest thou not, thou whelp of darkness and father of disordered
livers," cried the Fogy, "that water will cause grass to spring up
here, and trees, and possibly even flowers? Knowest thou not, that
thou art, in truth, producing an oasis?"
"And don't you know," said the Sheik of the Outfit, "that
caravans
will then stop here for rest and refreshments, giving you a chance
to steal the camels, the horses, and the goods?"
"May the wild hog
defile my grave, but thou speakest
wisdom!" the
Fogy replied, with the
dignity of his race, extending his hand.
"Sheik."
They shook.
At Heaven's Gate
HAVING
arisen from the tomb, a Woman presented herself at the gate
of Heaven, and knocked with a trembling hand.
"Madam," said Saint Peter, rising and approaching the wicket,
"whence do you come?"
"From San Francisco," replied the Woman, with
embarrassment, as
great beads of perspiration spangled her
spiritual brow.
"Never mind, my good girl," the Saint said,
compassionately.
"Eternity is a long time; you can live that down."
"But that, if you please, is not all." The Woman was growing more
and more confused. "I poisoned my husband. I chopped up my
babies. I - "
"Ah," said the Saint, with sudden austerity, "your confession
suggests a very grave
possibility. Were you a member of the
Women's Press Association?"
The lady drew herself up and replied with warmth:
"I was not."
The gates of pearl and jasper swung back upon their golden hinges,
making the most ravishing music, and the Saint, stepping aside,
bowed low, saying:
"Enter, then, into thine
eternal rest."
But the Woman hesitated.
"The poisoning - the chopping - the - the - " she stammered.
"Of no
consequence, I assure you. We are not going to be hard on a
lady who did not belong to the Women's Press Association. Take a
harp."
"But I
applied for
membership - I was blackballed."
"Take two harps."
The Catted Anarchist
AN Anarchist Orator who had been struck in the face with a Dead Cat
by some Respector of Law to him unknown, had the Dead Cat arrested
and taken before a Magistrate.
"Why do you
appeal to the law?" said the Magistrate - "You who go
in for the
abolition of law."
"That," replied the Anarchist, who was not without a certain
hardness of head, "that is none of your business; I am not bound to
be
consistent. You sit here to do justice between me and this Dead
Cat."
"Very well," said the Magistrate, putting on the black cap and a
solemn look; "as the accused makes no defence, and is undoubtedly
guilty, I
sentence her to be eaten by the public
executioner; and
as that position happens to be
vacant, I
appoint you to it, without
bonds."
One of the most
delighted spectators at the
execution was the
anonymous Respector of Law who had flung the condemned.
The Honourable Member
A MEMBER of a Legislature, who had
pledged himself to his
Constituents not to steal, brought home at the end of the
session a
large part of the dome of the Capitol. Thereupon the Constituents
held an
indignation meeting and passed a
resolution of tar and
feathers.
"You are most unjust," said the Member of the Legislature. "It is