the Dardanelles?" inquired one of the company. "Parbleu!"
says he; "I most surely have seen them, when I dined with them several
times."

EMPHASIS.

THE force of emphasis is clearly shown in the following brief colloquy,
between two lawyers:

"Sir," demanded one, indignantly, "do you imagine me to be a scoundrel?"

"No, Sir," said the other coolly, "I do not _imagine_ you to be one."

A FORGETFUL MAN.

A MAN, endowed with an extraordinary capacity for forgetfulness, was
tried some time ago, at Paris, for vagabondage. He gave his name as
Auguste Lessite, and believed he was born at Bourges. As he had
forgotten his age, the registry of all the births in that city, from
1812 to 1822, was consulted, but only one person of the name of Lessite
had been born there during that time, and that was a girl.

"Are you sure your name is Lessite?" asked the judge.

"Well, I thought it was, but maybe it ain't."

"Are you confident you were born at Bourges?"

"Well, I always supposed I was, but I shouldn't wonder if it was
somewhere else."

"Where does your family live at present?"

"I don't know; I've forgotten."

"Can you remember ever having seen your father and mother?"

"I can't recollect to save myself; I sometimes think I have, and then
again I think I haven't."

"What trade do you follow?"

"Well, I am either a tailor or a cooper, and for the life of me I can't
tell which: at any rate, I'm either one or the other."

AN ACUTE HINT.

AN Irish footman carrying a basket of game from his master to his
friend, waited some time for the customary fee, but seeing no appearance
of it, he scratched his head, and said, "Sir, if my master should say,
Paddy, what did the gentleman give you?--_what would your honor have me
to tell him?_"

COCKNEY NARRATIVE.

I _laid_ at my friend's house last night, and _just_ as I _laid me down_
to sleep, I heard a rumbling at the window of my chamber, which was
_just_ over the kitchen, a sort of portico, the top of which was _just_
even with the floor of my room. Well, I _just_ peeped up, and as the
moon was _just_ rising, I _just_ saw the head of a man; so I _got me up_
softly, _just_ as I was, in my shirt, _goes_ to where the pistols _laid_
that I had _just_ loaded, and laid them _just_ within my reach. I hid
myself behind the curtains, _just_ as he was completely in the room.
_Just_ as I was about to lift my hand to shoot him, _thinks I_, would it