sweet, the spice and tart, you must
Be patient till the fiery core is cool,
And bite a little deeper than the crust.

"If you would know the flavor of a man,--
God's mud pie, made of Eden's dew and dust,--
Be patient till love's fire has warmed him through,
And look a little deeper than the crust."

--_Aloysius Coll._

* * * * *

TABLE STORIES.

Upon one occasion when six fair women and half a dozen brave men,
gathered round a hospitable board, had fallen into that state of
"innocuous desuetude" from which nothing but heroic measures would
relieve them, a still small voice was heard asking if any one present
could tell why the "Athenasian creed is like a tiger?" It chanced that
no one present could guess, and when the propounder, a delicate,
spirituelle looking woman declared that it was "because of its damnation
clause," there was a roar of laughter that successfully put to flight
all stiffness and formality.

* * * * *

A well-known gentleman gained quite a reputation among his set by
propounding a French riddle, which is sometimes called Voltaire's
riddle, because no one ever answered it. He wrote on the back of a card
the following: "Ga" and asked if anyone could make it out, saying the
answer was what every one had or should have had when he sat down to
dinner. The card went round the table and made conversation for some
time. After fruitless efforts, all gave it up, and he wrote underneath
the "Ga" as follows:

Capital G. Small a.
G. grande. a petite.
J'ai grande apetite.
I have a good appetite. See?

* * * * *

There is only one thing which is said to be worse than being called upon
unexpectedly to make an after dinner speech--that is to prepare an after
dinner speech and not be asked to deliver it.

* * * * *

Over the teacups: "Do you believe that awful story they are telling
about Miss Prim?"

Ladies in Chorus--"Yes. What is it?"

* * * * *

"Say, mister," said the little fresh air child as she watched the cattle
enjoying their cud, "do you have to buy gum for all of them cows to
chew?"

* * * * *

I remember the Colonel from Missouri who forgot the name of the suburb
he wanted to go to near Boston. "It runs in my head," said he to the
hotel clerk, "its name is something li