American fiction -- 19th century; American poetry -- 19th century; American wit and humor; Short stories, American
"Zas d---d lie!" said Robert, as he threw a beer glass through the
mirror. "Been down t' office helpin' friend pos' up books 'n missed
last car. Say, now, Susie, old girl, you owe me two beers from las'
time. Give 'em to me or I'll kick down bar."
Robert's wife was named Henrietta. When he made this remark she came
around to the front and struck him over the eye with a lemon squeezer.
Robert then kicked over the table, broke about half the bottles,
spilled the beer, and used language not suited for the mailable
edition.
Ten minutes later his wife had him tied with the clothes line, and
during the intervals between pounding him on the head with a potato
masher she was trying to think how to get rid of her last great
original idea.
Calculations
A gentleman with long hair and an expression indicating heavenly
resignation stepped off the twelve-thirty train at the Grand Central
Depot yesterday. He had a little bunch of temperance tracts in his
hand, and he struck a strong scent and followed it up to a red-nosed
individual who was leaning on a trunk near the baggage room.
"My friend," said the long-haired man, "do you know that if you had
placed the price of three drinks out at compound interest at the time
of the building of Solomon's temple, you would now have
$47,998,645.22?"
"I do," said the red-nosed man. "I am something of a calculator
myself. I also figured out when the doctor insisted on painting my
nose with iodine to cure that boil, that the first lanternjawed,
bone-spavined, rubbernecked son-of-a-gun from the amen corner of
Meddlesome County that made any remarks about it would have to jump
seventeen feet in nine seconds or get kicked thirteen times below the
belt. You have just four seconds left."
The long-haired man made a brilliant retreat within his allotted time,
and bore down with his temperance tracts upon a suspicious-looking
Houston man who was carrying home a bottle of mineral water wrapped in
a newspaper to his mother-in-law.
A Valedictory
The "Some Postscripts" man on the _Post_ has
about reached the end of his vein. These spurts of
brilliancy many are capable of, but the sustained
light that burns for years to gladden and instruct is
a rare quality, and the possessor should be
appreciated by the people, for he is the true
Messiah--the eldest son of the great intellectual lord
of the universe.
--Brenham _Press_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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