TOO INTELLIGENT A SERVANT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4036, 28 June 1884, Page 6 (Supplement)

TOO INTELLIGENT A SERVANT.

A literary man, of excellent heart but somo eccentricity, discharged lately his body servant, A new one presented' himself, and, after agreeing on tho terms, the master-added : ' Listen, my man! I havo a fancy for not wasting words. It will-bo-unnecess-ary for you to require but a syllable to understand me—as, for instance, when I call for my razor, that you bring me also, without laborious specification, all that belongs to it; soap, brush, tweezers, towel, and, in fact, all the accessories of the toilet. And so of other things' For" a while, all went marvellously well. The ingennity of tho valet was promptly exorcised, and the master was pleased with his good luck in getting so satisfactory a diviner of his wants. Ono day, however, being taken seriously ill, he despatched his man for the physician, who resided but a few doors off. A half-hour olapscd—ono hour—two hours— and no man, no doctor! At the end of three hours, enter, the faithful domestic, covered with sweat and dust, and followed by a train of heavy feet. He approached tho master's bed.'Well, sir!' exclaimed tho suffering invalid, 'where have you been all this time ?' ' Getting tho others!' respondod the zealous man. ,'You asked only for,tho physician ; but I thought you would need also tho priest to confess you,-and the undertakerto msasuro you for your coffin'; and here they are !' .