A POPULATION QUESTION.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 2, 16 June 1883, Page 4

A POPULATION QUESTION.

A stranger leaaed over the bar of a Michigan avenue snloon the other day, and whimperingly inquired : 1 Partner, what is the population of the United States ?' | ' liard ou to 50,000,000, 1 believe,' was the reply. 'It is over 40,000,000, anyhow ?' 4 Oh, yea.' 'You'll bet on tlnit?' 'I'd like nothing batter than to put up ten on it' ' Well, you'll havo a chance. There's a ehsip down in the shoe store who claims that we haven't got 35,000,000 population, and he is hinting everybody. I'll biinghiinup if you'll make a bet and take him down a peg.' 4 Bring him along.' The stranger went away and returned with the bluff or, who had no sooner "ntored tho saloon than he called out : j ' Where's the man who says this countiy has over 40,000,000 population.' The saloonist modestly replied that he was the"man, and in less than a minute tho two ten-dollar hills were put in the hands of the first caller. ' Thera's a new map in the store across the way which has the last census figures on it,' and the s.iloonibt and all went over to see tho matter settled. The figures showed that the} beer-seller had won by a large majority, but nothing on that map, nor below, nor behind it, could tell what h-id become of the m.in who held tho stakes, indeed, it was only after the one who had lost had also slipped away that anybody realised that they were confederates. Then tho victim btarted out with a club to hunt the world over and reduce the population by one, but his search was vmn.