THE POINT OF THE JOKE.

Kumara Times, Issue 512, 18 May 1878, Page 2

THE POINT OF THE JOKE.

I Mr Sniffin was at a dinner party | giv.m a few days ago at Judge Pitman’s, j While the company were at the table | Sniffin said, in a low voice :—“ By the ■ way, did you read that mighty good • thing of Adeler’s the other day, about the woman over in Pencader ? It was one of the most amusing things that ever came under my observation. The woman’s name, you see, was Emma. | Well, sir, there were two young fellows I paying attention to her, and after she’d j accepted one of them, the other also ' proposed to her, and as she felt certain that the first one wasn’t in earnest she accepted the second one also. So a few ' days later both of ’em called at the 1 same time, both claimed her hand, and j both insisted on marrying her at once. 1 Then of course she found herself face to ' face with a mighty unpleasant—unpleasant—er—er—er—let’s see, what’s the j word I want 1 Unpleasant — er — er . | Blamed if I haven’t forgotten that j word.” “ Predicament, ” suggested Judge Pitman. “No, that’s not it. | What’s the name of that thing with two | horns? Unpleasant—er—er—hang it, it’s gone clear out of my mind.” “ A. cow,” hinted Miss Gridley. “ No, not a cow.” “Maybe it’s a buffalo,” remarked Dr Potts. “ No, no kind of an animal. Something else with two horns. Mighty queer I can’t recall it.” “ Perhaps it s a brass band,” observed Butter wick. “ Or a man who’s had a couple of drinks,” suggested Peter Lamb. “ Of course not.” “ You don’t mean a fire company 1” asked Mrs Pitman. “ N—no. That’s the confounded queerest thing I evei heard of, that I can’t remember that word,” said Mr Sniffin, getting warm, and beginning to feel miserable. « Well, give us thereat of'the story without it,” said the judge. “That’s the mischief of it,” said Mr Sniffin; “ the whole joke turns on that infernal word.” « Two horns did you say ?” asked Dr Potts. .« Maybe it is a catfish 1 “Or a snail,” remarked the judge. “ N—no—none of those.” “ Is it an elephant or a walrus?” asked Mrs' Potts. “I guess I’ll have to give it up,” said Mr Snffin, wiping the perspiration from his brow. “ Well, that’s the sickest old story I ever run across,” remarked Butterwick to the judge. Then everybody smiled, and Mr Sniffin excused lurussif upon the ground that he had to meet a man, and he withdrew. The mystery is yet unsolved. I

sievcr concocted any such story as that., and I have a faint impression iltafc Sniffin'was trying to build one up by bringing that woman’s name, Emma, someinto a pun with the word “ dilemand lam glad he failed. When a man begins to palm off his infamous jokes on me, the time has come when lie can die without being missed.—Max Adeler,