ating the number of shingles it would
make for his new cabin. Having satisfied his mind on that point, he
stuck his boat-hook into the beast's back to harvest his good fortune.
Thereupon the saurian emerged from his dream and took to the water,
greatly to the surprise of the man-and-brother.

"I never befo' seen such a cyclone as dat," he exclaimed as soon as he
had recovered his breath. "It done carry away de ruf of my house!"

At the Pole

After a great expenditure of life and treasure a Daring Explorer had
succeeded in reaching the North Pole, when he was approached by a Native
Galeut who lived there.

"Good morning," said the Native Galeut. "I'm very glad to see you, but
why did you come here?"

"Glory," said the Daring Explorer, curtly.

"Yes, yes, I know," the other persisted; "but of what benefit to man is
your discovery? To what truths does it give access which were
inaccessible before?--facts, I mean, having a scientific value?"

"I'll be Tom scatted if I know," the great man replied, frankly; "you
will have to ask the Scientist of the Expedition."

But the Scientist of the Expedition explained that he had been so
engrossed with the care of his instruments and the study of his tables
that he had found no time to think of it.

The Optimist and the Cynic

A Man who had experienced the favours of fortune and was an Optimist, met
a man who had experienced an optimist and was a Cynic. So the Cynic
turned out of the road to let the Optimist roll by in his gold carriage.

"My son," said the Optimist, stopping the gold carriage, "you look as if
you had not a friend in the world."

"I don't know if I have or not," replied the Cynic, "for you have the
world."

The Poet and the Editor

"My dear sir," said the editor to the man, who had called to see about
his poem, "I regret to say that owing to an unfortunate altercation in
this office the greater part of your manuscript is illegible; a bottle of
ink was upset upon it, blotting out all but the first line--that is to
say--"

"'The autumn leaves were falling, falling.'

"Unluckily, not having read the poem, I was unable to supply the
incidents that followed; otherwise we could have given them in our own
words. If the news is not stale, and has not already appeared in the
other papers, perhaps you will kindly relate what occurred, while I make
notes of it.

"'The autumn leaves were falling, falling,'

"Go on."

"What!"