one of these, Mr. Lamb said,

"Is Deacon Jones in?"

"What's your business?"

"Why, I want to find out the name of Moses'--"

"Don't know anything about it. Look in the directory;" and the clerk
slammed the window shut.

Then Peter went to the next window and said,

"I want to see Mr. Jones a minute."

"What for?"

"I want to see if he knows Moses'--"

"Moses who?"

"Why, Moses, the Bible Moses--if he knows--"

"Patriarchs don't belong in this department. Apply across the street
at the Christian Association rooms;" and then the clerk closed the
window.

At the next window Mr. Lamb said,

"I want to see Deacon Jones a minute in reference to a matter about
Moses."

"Want to pay his gas-bill? What's the last name?"

"Oh no. I mean the first Moses, the original one."

"Anything the matter with his meter?"

"You don't understand me. I refer to the Hebrew prophet. I want to
see--"

"Well, you can't see him here. This is the gas-office. Try next door."

At the adjoining window Mr. Lamb said,

"Look here! I want to see Deacon Jones a minute about the prophet
Moses, and I wish you'd tell him so."

"No, I won't," replied the clerk. "He's too busy to be bothered
with-anything of that kind."

"But I must see him," said Peter; "I insist on seeing him. The fact of
the matter is, I've got a bet about Moses'--"

"Don't make any difference what you've got; you can't see him."

"But I will. I want you to go and tell him I'm here, and that I wish
for some information respecting Moses. I'll have you discharged if you
don't go."

"Don't care if you want to see him about all the children of Israel,
and the Pharaohs and Nebuchadnezzars. I tell you you can't. That
settles it. Turn off your gas and quit."

Then Peter resolved to give up the deacon and try Rev. Dr. Dox. When
he called at the parsonage, the doctor came down into the parlor.
Because of the doctor's deafness there was a little misunderstanding
when Peter said,

"I called, doctor, to ascertain if you could tell me who was the
mother-in-law of Moses."

"Well, really," said the doctor, "there isn't much preference. Some
like one kind of roses and some like another. A very good variety of
the pink rose is the Duke of Cambridge; grows large, bears early and
has very fine perfume. The Hercules is also excellent, but you must
manure it well and water it often."

"I didn't ask about _roses_, but _Moses_. You make a mistake," shouted
Peter.

"Oh,