Miscellaneous Items.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1697, 1 May 1886, Page 3

Miscellaneous Items.

There is a good anecdote told of the liule town of Portland, Indiana, "While a certian steam-boat was. about "putting out" from there not long since, fov New Orleans, the mate, an o ]d boatman turned to some passengers, and nmaikeil: — This little town, gentlemen, looks dull, but I tell you it is ijetha'ps a mighty brisk place. -"About fitteen years ago, as 1 was going down with a, ftat-boat to New Oaleaus, we stopped here to procure j some provisions-. I went up into the town, and* seeing, a coat hanging out* side of a s*hop door, just took it. The 0' §> ncr came after me, took me before a magistrate; ¥ was tried, convicted, took thirty-nine lashes, and was back to the boifipin ffiteeu minutes! I t©H you gentlemen, a mighty brisk lifctle place is th#frsamo Portland." ~A. nove]*eri« f r catalepsy, occordins; to a Hftv'<uma despatch has been di«coverei|~ & '-East year a Spaui^h soldier w#¥yivrnught to the military hospital suffering from catalepsy. For fifteen>-mbnths he remained under treatment :■ without showing the least; sign of improvement. ; Finally, ou August Bth last, the doctors ordered that bagpipes be played near his bed. The experiment was successful. The man recovered consciousness almost immediately, and is now able to articulate satire • 'words and to take necessary nourishment. — United Service Gazettes'- , An exchange, relates the following:-^-AmoDg tlieTiriends who had come -with us froViijAuckijind was an English s;ent!^ij)an, Colonel — r--y highbred, refined extra-refined - whom the tfralit;? ofioi-tune played a trick npoi). v "FTappily, with his other good qualiijf^, lie Lad a keen sense of humonr/-and. : enj.ytd what befell him as much' as "we did. At some 1 town whore we stopped .late one night, two ladies Vfiod' been put into the carriage will/ ii's. We were going to bed, and paxil Ho attention to them. Tho berth undfr Colonel. happened to vacant. To one of these iiew arrivals,., without his being aware of it, this bevlh was assigned as a sleeping-place. The lady gathered herself m, a'ni3' the same leather curtain fell over them. both. In the niormng, •ihe'tjplonel, feeling about for iiis under, garments, drojiped his 'drawers by accident over the side of his bed. From below he saw thrust out a small, dainty ,, iaud pprfectly white hand, with a diamond ring, and a delicate lace frs(,yound_ the wrist. It washolding upoli^..article.in question, and a brisk, rir|\ng yoice said, ••Guess th.M belongs to yoti^, •,