MR. GUNN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4782, 20 July 1876, Page 3

MR. GUNN.

HOW HE TOOK SMITH'S LIFE. J The life'insurance agent, Benjamin P. Gunn, the other day heard that old Mr. Smith had ho insurance upon his .life, so Gunn concluded to drop in to see him. Smith had no aoqua intance with Gunn, and when the latter entered .the office he introduced himself by saying : ' : ; “ Mr. Smith, I called to see it I could take your life.” , “ Wli-—wh—what d’you say ?” exclaimed Smith, in some alarm. “I say that Pro come around to take your life. My name is Gunn. As soon as I heard you.were. unprotected, that you had nothing Oh your life, I thought I would just run in and settle the thing for you at once.” j Then Smith got up and went to the other Side of the table, and said to himself : 1 “ It’s a lunatic who has broken out of the asylum. He’ll kill me if I holloa or run. I must humor him.” ! Then Gunn, fumbling in his pocket after his mortality tables, followed Smith around the room, and said to him “ You can choose your own plan, you know. It’s immaterial to me. Some like one way, S,nd some like another. It’s a matter of taste. Which do you prefer ?” | “ I’d rather not die at all,” said Smith, in despair. ! “But you've got to die, of course,” said Gunn, “that’s a thing there is no choice about. All I can do is to make death'easy for you ; to make you feel happy as you go off. Now, which plan will you take ?" I “ Couldn’t you postpone it until to-morrow, 50 as to give me time to think ?" ■ i “No ; I prefer to take you on the spot. I might as well do it now as at any other time. You have a wife and children ?’’ . i “ Yes, and I think you, ought to haye some consideration for them and let mo off.”

“Well, that’s a curious kind of an argument,” said Gunn. “ When I take you your family will be perfectly protected, of course, and not otherwise.” “ But why do you want to murder me ? “Murder you ! Murder you! Who, in thunder is talking about murdering you ?” “ Why, didn’t you say- ” “ I called to get you to take out a life insurance policy in oiir company, and I ’ “Oh, you did, did you?” said Smith, suddenly becoming fierce. “Well, I ain’t.a going to do it, and I want you to skip out of this office, or I’ll brain you with the poker. Come now, skipl” Then Mr. Gunn withdrew without selling a policy, and Smith is still uninsured.