A STRANGER'S MISTAKE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2411, 8 December 1880, Page 4

A STRANGER'S MISTAKE.

A few days ago a -Western merchant who wanted to do some sight seeing and buy his fall stock at the same time, entered a dry goods jobbing house on Broadwwa r , and accosted the first person he met with, ‘ Are you the proprietor here?’ ‘Not exactly the proprietor,’ was the reply. ‘At present lam acting as shipping clerk, but I am cutting my cards for a partnership next year by organising noon prayer meetings in the basement,’

The stranger passed on to a very important looking personage with a diamond pin, and asked : ‘ Are you the head of the house ?’ ‘Well no; I can’t say as I am at present, but I have hopes of a partnership in January. I’m only one of the travellers just now,but I’m laying yb for a 200 dol. pew in a up-town church, and that will mean a quarter interest here in less than six month.’ The next man had his feet up, his hat back and a 20 cent cigar in his mouth, and he looked so solid that the stranger said: ‘ Yon must run this establishment.’ ‘Me ? Well, I may run it very soon. At present I’m the bookkeeper, but I’m expecting to get into a church choir with the old man’s darling and become an equal partner here.” The stranger was determined not to make another mistake. He walked around until he found a man with his coat off and busj' with a case of goods, and dc said to him : ‘ The porters arc kept pretty busy in hero I see,’ * Yes ’ was the brief reply. ‘ But I suppose you are planning to invent a Gospel hymn book and sing the old man out of an eighth interest, aren’t you ?’ ‘ Well,' no, not exactly,’ was the quiet reply. ‘ I’m the old man himself.’ And all that the stranger said, after a long minute spent in looking the merchant over, was: ‘Well, durn my buttons.