Form
The traveler wrote an indignant letter to the officials of the railroad
company, giving full details as to why he had sat up in the smoking-room
all night, instead of sleeping in his berth. He received in reply a
letter from the company, which was so courteous and logical that he was
greatly soothed. His mood changed for the worse, however, when he
happened to glance at his own letter, which had been enclosed through
error. On the margin was jotted in pencil:
"Send this guy the bed-bug letter."
* * *
A worker in the steel mills applied direct to Mr. Carnegie for a holiday
in which to get married. The magnate inquired interestedly concerning
the bride:
"Is she tall or short, slender or plump?"
The prospective bridegroom answered seriously:
"Well, sir, I'm free to say, that if I'd had the rollin' of her, I sure
would have given her three or four more passes."
More
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Familiarity Etc
"I'm so glad to see you. And how did you enjoy your visit to the South?" "Oh, not very much! There wasn't a soul where I was staying except intimate friends." * * * ... Fashion
After years of endeavor in poverty, the inventor made a success, and came running home with pockets bulging real money. He joyously strewed thousand-dollar bills in his wife's lap, crying: "Now, at last, my dear, you will be able to buy you some d... Favors
At the village store, the young farmer complained bitterly. "Old Si Durfee wants me to be one of the pall-bearers once more at his wife's funeral. An' it's like this. Si had me fer pall-bearer when his first wife was buried. An' then agin fer his ... Femininity
_Julia:_ "Fanny married a very wealthy man, you know. She tells me she has absolutely nothing to wish for." _Gertrude:_ "Oh, Julia! What a dreadful state to be in." * * * ... Fighting
The boy hurried home to his father with an announcement: "Me and Joe Peck had a fight to-day." The father nodded gravely. "Mr. Peck has already called to see me about it." The little boy's face brightened. "Gee, pop! I hope you made out ... Film Fever
_Nurse:_ "You were very naughty in church, Guy. Do you know where little boys and girls go to who don't put their pennies in the collection box?" _Guy:_ "Yes, nurse; to the pictures." * * * ... Finance
A very black little girl made her way into the presence of the lady of the house, and with much embarrassment, but very clearly, explained who she was, and what her mission: "Please, mum, I'se Ophelia. I'se de washerwoman's little girl, an' mama, ... Financiers
"My pa, he's a financier," boasted one small boy to another. "'Tain't much to brag of," the other sneered. "My pa an' uncle Jack are in jail, too." ... Fishing
The congressman from California was telling at dinner in the hotel of tuna fishing. "Just run out in a small motor boat," he explained, "and anything less than a hundred pounds is poor sport." The colored waiter was so excited that he interrupt... Fishy Record
_First Stenog._ (_reading_): "Think of those Spaniards going 3,000 miles on a galleon!" _Second Stenog.:_ "Aw, forget it. Yuh can't believe all yuh hear about them foreign cars." * * * A group of touri... Flattery
An eminent statesman was being driven rapidly by his chauffeur, when the car struck and killed a dog that leaped in front of it. At the statesman's order, the chauffeur stopped the car, and the great man got out and hurried back to where a woman was... Fleas
The debutante was alarmed over the prospect of being taken in to dinner by the distinguished statesman. "Whatever can we talk about?" she demanded anxiously of her mother. Afterward, in the drawing-room, she came to her mother with a radiant sm... Flirtation
The gentleman at the party, who was old enough to know better, turned to another guest, who had just paused beside him: "Women are fickle. See that pretty woman by the window? She was smiling at me flirtatiously a few minutes ago and now she looks... Flood
The breakfaster in the cheap restaurant tried to make conversation with the man beside him at the counter. "Awful rainy spell--like the flood." "The flood?" The tone was polite, but inquiring. "_The_ flood--Noah, the Ark, Mount Ararat." Th... Flowers
Gilbert wrote a couplet concerning-- "An attachment _à la_ Plato For a bashful young potato." Such suggestion is all very well in a humorous ballad, but we do not look for anything of the sort in a serious romance of real life. ... Follies
A wise old Quaker woman once said that men were guilty of three most astonishing follies. The first was the climbing of trees to shake down the fruit, when if they would but wait, the fruit would fall of itself. The second was the going to war to ki... Food
The Arctic explorer at a reception on his return gave an informal talk concerning his experiences. He explained that a point further north would have been reached, if the dogs had not given out at a critical time. A lady, who had followed the exp... Forehandedness
The highly efficient housewife bragged that she always rose early, and had every bed in the house made before anybody else in the house was up. ... Foresight
The master directed that the picture should be hung on the east wall; the mistress preferred the west wall. The servant drove the nail where his master directed, but when he was left alone in the room he drove a nail in the other wall. "That," ... Forgetfulness
The foreman of a Southern mill, who was much troubled by the shiftlessness of his colored workers, called sharply to two of the men slouching past him. "Hi, you! where are you going?" "Well, suh, boss," one of them answered, "we is goin' to de ... Form
The traveler wrote an indignant letter to the officials of the railroad company, giving full details as to why he had sat up in the smoking-room all night, instead of sleeping in his berth. He received in reply a letter from the company, which was s... Fraud
The hired man on a New England farm went on his first trip to the city. He returned wearing a scarf pin set with at least four carats bulk of radiance. The jewelry dazzled the rural belles, and excited the envy of the other young men. His employer b... French
An American tourist in France found that he had a two hours' wait for his train at a junction, and set out to explore the neighborhood. He discovered at last that he was lost, and could not find his way back to the station. He therefore addressed a ... Friendship
The kindly lady accosted the little boy on the beach, who stood with downcast head, and grinding his toes into the sand and looking very miserable and lonely indeed. "Haven't you anybody to play with?" she inquired sympathetically. The boy shoo... From The Heart
_The Wife:_ "I have not been able to wear my new hat yet on account of the weather." _The Husband:_ "Humph! And I suppose by the time it clears up the fashion will have changed." * * * _The Reporter:_ ... Fussiness
The traveler in the Blue Ridge Mountains made his toilet as best he could with the aid of the hand basin on its bench by the cabin door and the roller towel. He made use of his own comb and brush, tooth-brush, nail-file and whiskbroom. The small son... Gender
It is quite possible to trap clergymen, as well as laymen, with the following question, because they are not always learned in the Old Testament. "If David was the father of Solomon, and Joab was the son of Zeruiah, what relation was Zeruiah to J... Gentleman
There has been much controversy for years as to the proper definition of the much abused word "gentleman." Finally, by a printer's error in prefixing _un_ to an adverb, an old and rather mushy description of a gentleman has been given a novel twist ... Geography
The airman, after many hours of thick weather, had lost his bearings completely. Then it cleared and he was able to make a landing. Naturally, he was anxious to know in what part of the world he had arrived. He put the question to the group of rusti... Getting Back
_Customer to Palmist:_ "Five dollars fee? Er--would you have any objection to waiting until I get some of the money you say is coming to me?" * * * _Betty:_ "Mummy, does God send us our food?" _Mother:... Getting Even
_Mrs. Lynks:_ "Jack, I have made up my mind to fine you ten cents every time you swear." _Mr. Lynks:_ "That's a bargain, if you'll give me ten cents every time you envy me for being able to." * * * ... Getting On
_Old Gentleman:_ "Well, children! and what are you learning at school?" _Small Boy:_ "Oh, she's learning to make paper dolls and I'm learning to knock spots out of Willie Jones." * * * ... Getting Reckless
_She:_ "I'm surprised at Jane's staying out in the boat all this time with a comparative stranger. A woman of thirty is old enough to know better." _He:_ "Aren't you afraid she is _too old_ to know better?" * *... Ghosts
There was a haunted house down South which was carefully avoided by all the superstitious negroes. But a new arrival in the community, named Sam, bragged of his bravery as too superior to be shaken by any ghosts, and declared that, for the small sum... God's Will
The clergyman was calling, when the youthful son and heir approached his mother proudly, and exhibited a dead rat. As she shrank in repugnance, he attempted to reassure her: "Oh, it's dead all right, mama. We beat it and beat it and beat it, and ... Going Further
_Flora:_ "I think that Maud has been awfully mean to you. If I were you I'd get even with her." _Dora:_ "Getting even with her won't satisfy _me_. _I'm_ going to get _uneven_ with her." * * * ... Golf
The eminent English Statesman Arbuthnot-Joyce plays golf so badly that he prefers a solitary round with only the caddy present. He had a new boy one day recently, and played as wretchedly as usual. "I fancy I play the worst game in the world," he ... Good Or Bad Turn?
"Did your late employer give you a testimonial, Jack?" "Yes, Tom. But the way employers look at it when I apply for a job make one think there's something wrong with it." "What does it say, then?" "Why, he said I was one of the best men his f... Grace
The son and heir had just been confirmed. At the dinner table, following the church service, the father called on his son to say grace. The boy was greatly embarrassed by the demand. Moreover, he was tired, not only from the excitement of the specia... Grammar
The passing lady mistakenly supposed that the woman shouting from a window down the street was calling to the little girl minding baby brother close by on the curb. "Your mother is calling you," she said kindly. The little girl corrected the la...