Gleanings.

Kaikoura Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 1932, 4 January 1899, Page 7

Gleanings.

Practical Jokes.

Some practical jokes are funny enough, al'.hough the element of discomfort enters more or less largely into ail. He had a fine sense of humour, that miscreant, who turned down a fine healthy old buck rat, full of fight and vigour, in the ‘Promenade ’ nt the Empire a few years ago. The siege of Parts and the burning of Moscow were Quakers’ meetings compared to that scene. Quite as amusing was an incident which occurred at the Royal Military College, when a fellow- | student, having captured a frog, whose saltatory instincts were on a par with those possessed by the batrachian of Mark Twain’s story, deftly inserted the reptile within the recesses of the cloth glove of the professor of the German language, who always kept his ‘hand-shoes’ when not in use on the desk in front oi him. He was somewhat short sighted, that Teuton, and did not at first notice anything unusual. But when the frog proceeded to leap from the desk on to the interesting passage in the works of fchiller which he was expounding, nreat was the terror which seized upon him. ‘ Ach Gotti’ he cried ; ‘a gluf aide !’ And it was not until some ten minutes later that studies were resumed, the enure class having in the meantime been reported to the authorities for condign punishment.

* * ft * Lost His Head.

M. Lablache, the famous singer, was very absent-minded. While at Naples on one occasion, King Humbert was also there, and expressed a desire to make his acquaintance On entering the ante-chamber in the palace, M. Lablache found that tho gentlemen present were all personal acquaintances of hi:, and asked to be aliened to keep his hat on, as he was suffering frepu a severe cold. A lively conversation was cut short by the entrance of a chamberlain announcing that the King would receive M. Lablache at once. In the momentary contusion tho singer forgot that he was wearing his hat, took hold ol another which had been placed on a chair near him, ami went belore his Majesty, who at the sight of him burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Utterly confused. M. Lablache asked humbly to be informed of the reason of the King's merriment. ‘ Let me ask you a question first,’ replied the Kinjr ; ‘winch is your hat—the one you uro wearing on your head, or the one you carry iu your hand ?’ * Confound it all 1’ replied Lablache, joining in the laughter; ‘truly, two hats are too many lor a fellow who has lost his head.’

Great Thoughts.

Fame has eagle wings, and yet she mounts not so high as man’s desires.— Beaconsfield.

Our humanity were a poor thing but for the Divinity that stirs within us.— Lord Bacon. Fortunes made in no time are like shirts made in no time ; it’s len to one if they hang long together.—Douglas Jerrold.

It is no disgrace not to be able to do everything ; but to undertake, or pretend to do, what you are not made for, is not only shameful, but extremely troublesome and vexatious. —Plutarch.

A Lover’s hope resembles the bean in tho nursery tule ; let it once take root, and it will grow so rapidly that, in the course of a lew hours, the giant Imagination builds a castle on the top, and by-and-by comes Disappointment with a curial axe, and hews down both the plant and the superstructure.—Sir Walter Scott.