The American Joe Miller: A Collection of Yankee Wit and Humor — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The American Joe Miller: A Collection of Yankee Wit and Humor
John Stuart Mill · en
William Penn and Thomas Story once sheltered themselves from a shower
of rain in a tobacco house, the owner of which said to them: "You
enter here without leave; do you know who I am? I am a justice of the
peace." To which Story replied: "My friend here makes such things as
thee; he is Governor of Pennsylvania."
AN ENTHUSIASTIC NEWSVENDOR.--360.
An amusing incident occurred one day in front of General Turner's
lines. A sergeant stepped out from our rifle-pits, and moved towards
the enemy, waving a late paper, regardless of the probability that
he would at any moment be shot. A rebel officer shouted to him to go
back, but the sergeant was unmindful of the warning, and asked, "Won't
you exchange newspapers?" "No," said the rebel, "I have no paper, I
want you to go back." With singular persistence the sergeant continued
to advance, saying, "Well, if you haint a paper, I reckon some of
your men have, and I want to exchange, I tell you." "My men have not
got anything of the kind, and you must go back," said the officer in
a louder tone, and with great emphasis. Nothing daunted, the Yankee
sergeant still advanced, until he stood plumply before the indignant
officer, and said, "I tell ye now you needn't get your dander up. I
don't mean no harm no way. P'raps if ye aint got no newspapers ye
might give me suthin else. Maybe your men would like some coffee
for some tobacco. I'm dreadful anxious for a trade." The astonished
officer could only repeat his command, "Go back, you rascal, or
I'll take you prisoner. I tell you we have nothing to exchange, and
we don't want anything to do with you Yankees." The sergeant said
ruefully, "Well, then, if you haint got nothin', why, here's the paper
any way, and if you get one from Richmond this afternoon you can send
it over. You'll find my name thar on that." The man's impudence or
the officer's eagerness for news made him accept. He took the paper,
and asked the sergeant what was the news from Petersburg. "Oh, our
folks say we can go in there just when we want to, but we are willing
to gobble all you fellows first," was the reply. "Well, I don't know
but what you can do it!" said the lieutenant, turning on his heel and
re-entering his rifle-pits; "meanwhile, my man, you had better go
back." This time the sergeant obeyed the oft-repeated order, and, on
telling his adventure, was the hero of the morning among his comrades.
PROFITLESS PREACHING.--361.
The hat was passed round in a certain congregation in New York for
the purpose of taking up a collection. After it had made the circuit
of the church it was handed to the minister, who, by the way had
"exchanged pulpits" with the regular preacher, and he found not a cent
in it. He inverted his hat over the pulpit cushion, and shook it, that
its emptiness might be known; then looking towards the ceiling, he
exclaimed, with great fervour, "I thank Heaven that I got back my hat
from this congregation."
NOT FOR WANT.--362.