Savory Morsels.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4478, 12 May 1883, Page 2

Savory Morsels.

An action was brought in the Mel* bourne County Court recently by one William Silk, a bricklayer's laborer, to recover £49 damages from Senior Constable Maguire, of Fitzroy, for having stated that Silk was a convicted thief, and not fit to work on any job. It was admitted by plaintiff that he bad served a sentence of five years and a half for roll* bery in company, and the defence was that Maguire was justified in using the words complained of. His Honor, Judge Cope, however, held that the words were actionable, and that after a man had served a sentence he could not, according to law, be called a convicted felon, because serving a sentence was supposed to absolve him and make a new man of him. His Honor added that the law was undoubtedly right, because if a man was always driven from pillar to post on account of his having been once in prison there would be no chance for him to reform. Plaintiff proved in evidence that an employer had discharged him from work because of the libel, and he could not obtain any more work for three or foac weeks. His Honor assessed the damages at £20, and returned a verdict for plaintiff for that amount.

" 1 had a wife and dog aboard that boat and both were lost," remarked the be* reared man, gazing in the direction of the wreck. "It must make you feel sorter desolate like," responed the symapthisdr. " Yes, it's rough on me,' continued I|ie - mourner, "I've been walking the beash ] ever since daybreak looking for the dog."

Why he made the mistake: Ho eamtSj . home late the other night, and 1m wife. '^ woke up and found him with a burning match trying to light the cold water tap over the marble basin in his dressing room. 'James,' she said, 'that is not the gas burner.' ' I know it, my lore,' he replied, unsteadily; ' fact is, I've beea overworked, and that's the reason I made the mistake.' * Yes, you Jlook as if you had been lifting a good deal,' she quietly answered, as she returned to her pillow. A lady of experience observes that a good way to pick out a husband is to see how patiently ths man waits for dinner when it is behind time. Her husband remarks that a good way to pick out a wife is to see whether the woman has dinner ready in time.

A boy stood with an umbrella, with a cord tied to it, in a public doorway. Eleven persons thought that that umbrella was theirs, and carried it witbJthem the length of the string. They then suddenly dropped it, and went off without once looking back or stopping to pick it up again.

"Thirty dollars-fifteen dollars for a spring bonnet!" gurgled Jones, as he looked from the bill to his wife. "Mrs Jones, it's an outrage—a gross imposition." "Yes. but that's the price." " T'd better have married a milliner in* stead of a society lady." "Yes, that's what all my friends seem to think !" she demurely replied. He got red in the face and growled and kicked the footstool across the room, but by and by looked up and said: "And by the way, darling, you'd better get one of those lOdol hats which become you so, too. I want you to look pretty, no matter what the cost." " Do you happen to hare about you-'* said a poor fellow who was always in'an impecunious condition, to au Israelite who was not exactly without guile, " a bit of. 011 dontt knovr what to do with ? The rich man felt iv the depths of bis capacious pockets, and at last, with a sigh, as though his generosity cost him a pang, drew thence a coin, and presented to the beggar. The latter took it eagerly, I ?J y\. me 8a! d« "««> fang is a counterfeit. " True," was the reply, " and that is the only reason why I don't know what to do with it.