moment may easily be realized.

His temper was only momentary, however, for I recall that I was very
much amused at this critical moment of my career by another
observation that I overheard from the adjoining room. My grandfather,
Jared, who was with my father at the time looking out of the window
made the somewhat commonplace observation--

"It's raining cats and dogs, isn't it?"

"Cats and dogs?" retorted Enoch, scornfully. "It's raining
Diplodocuses!"

This was naturally the first bit of humor that I had ever heard, and
coming as it did simultaneously with my debut as a citizen of
Enochsville, perhaps it is not to be wondered at that instead of
celebrating my birth with a squall, as do most infants, I was born
laughing. I must have cackled pretty loudly, too, for the second thing
that I remember--O, how clearly it all comes back to me as I write, or
rather chisel--was overhearing the Governor's response to the nurse's
announcement of my arrival.

"It's a boy, sir," the good woman called out as she rushed excitedly
into the other room.

"Good, Dinah," replied my father. "You have taken a great load off my
mind. I am dee-lighted. I was afraid from his opening remarks that he
was a hen!"

It was thus that the keynote of existence was struck for me, one of
mirth even in the dark of storm, and that I have since become the
oldest man that ever lived, and shall doubtless continue to the end of
time to hold the record for longevity, I attribute to nothing else
than that, thanks to my father's droll humor, I was born smiling. Nor
did the good old gentleman ever stint himself in the indulgence of
that trait. In my youth such things as comic papers were entirely
unknown, nor did the columns of the newspapers give over any portion
of their space to the printing of jokes, so that my dear old father
never dreamed of turning his wit to the advantage of his own pocket,
as do some latter-day joke-wrights who shall be nameless, lavishly
bestowing the fruits of his gift upon the members of his own family.
Of my own claims to an inheritance of humor from my sire, I shall
speak in a later chapter.

I recall that my first impressions of life were rather disappointing.
I cannot say that upon my arrival I brought with me any definite
notions as to what I should find the world to be like, but I do know
that when I looked out of the window for the first time it seemed to
me that the scenery was rather commonplace, and the mountain