“I’m sure I don’t know, sir,” said the foreman, scratching his head as if he were trying to think. “I cannot tell, and the worst part of it is, it hasn’t been paid for. While I was at work in the back of the shop a gentleman came in, priced it, decided to take it, told me to charge it, and throwing it into his trap, drove off, before I could think to ask his name.” “That was very stupid of you,” said the harness-maker, disposed to be angry at the man’s carelessness. “Very likely we have been robbed.” “I don’t think that sir,” said the foreman, “for I’m very sure that the gentleman has traded here before.” “Well, I can’t afford to lose the money,” said the harness-maker. “We’ll have to find out who took it and send him the bill. Ah!” he added, with a smile, after a moment’s reflection, “I have it. We’ll charge it up to the account of every one of our customers who keep open accounts here. Those who didn’t get it will refuse to pay, so we shall be all right.” “The book-keeper was instructed to do this, and the bills in due course of time went out. Some weeks later the harness-maker asked the book-keeper if he had succeeded in discovering who the customer was. “No, sir,” he replied, “and we never shall, I fear, sir, for about 40 people have paid for it already without saying a word.” A CYCLE CATCH. Tie a cord to the pedal of a bicycle, such pedal to be the one that is the nearer to the ground, and, standing behind the back wheel, pull the cord, when, strange as it appears, the machine will come towards you, although everyone would first imagine that the bicycle would move forward. How is this? [Illustration] One ought to have dates at one’s finger ends seeing they grow upon the palms. TO TELL THE SPOTS ON THE BOTTOM CARDS OF SIX HEAPS. Allow anyone to choose six cards from a full pack. Tell him the court cards count 10, and the other cards according to their pips. Having made his selection, tell him to lay the chosen cards upon the table face downwards, without allowing you to see them, and to place upon each as many cards as pips are required to make 12. Whilst he is doing so, you should be out of the room or blindfolded. On your return he hands you the cards left over, and you have to tell the total number of spots on the six bottom cards. Suppose he had chosen 10, 6, 1, K, 3 and 7, which totals 37, now on the 10, he would place two cards to make 12; on the 6, he would place 6; and on the 1, 11 would be placed, and so on. On receiving the remaining cards from him you pretend to be looking through them carefully, but you simply want to know how many he has given you, which in the above example would be 11. To this number you add 26, which gives 37, the total spots required.