WHAT NEXT ?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 49, 26 February 1880, Page 1

WHAT NEXT ?

1 The negro minstrel, Thatcher, told a ludicrous story to a big audience, and put a catch phrase into the mouth of Indianapqlitans that has kept them laughing ever since. Two sailors, who had a parrot with them, went in,to a magician's show in an upper room in ! some foreign city. The three constituted the audience. After each feat of the magician's, one of the sailors would ! remark, " That's pretty good; wonder what they'll do next." Finally one of the sailors asked permission to smoke, i which the magician granted, forgetting that in the room beneath was stored an immense quantity of gunpowder. The . Jack tars and the parrot continued to ; enjoy the show, one sailor adding the pleasure of his pipe, and the other remarking after each trick, *' That's ! p'ir'etty good ; wonder what they'll do next." A spark from the smoker's pipe chanced to drop through a crack [ in the floor into the powder, and something suddenly occurred. Sailors and magician, parrot and all, " rose above party prejudice," and were all blown to kingdom come, in a million fragments, all except the poll parrot. He landed, a heap of bruised flesh and burnt feathers, in a potato patch, ,a considerable distance away. He w,as utterly demoralised. It took some moments to collect himself, and when he had,pftrticu|arly,4one #o, he hopped limpingly ; uppu ,■{& Jdnce rrail and, ,r£' marked, '&*Ehatb pretty, good; wonder what they'll do next."" < "• \ • , ' ■-•' - --r t v...T' -,-j.r ■■ ■ /' ..