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Show OFFERED CARLETON HIS SEAT A Story That Is Told of the Poet on One of His Lecture Tours. One evening, at Alliance, Ohio, Will Carleton, the poet, was on his way to the hall in which he was to lecture and read some of his own poems that evening. He had told the committee that they need not call for him at his hotel; that he wanted a little "think" by himself, on the way over. Hotel and hall Y,re quite a distance apart, and Carleton was in so much of a reverie as to be almost in danger of losing his way, when he was overtaken over-taken and accosted by a blithe little Hebrew clothing dealer, who, evidently not knowing him and his habits of thought, struck up a friendly, general sort of conversation. "'Pood efening," he said. "Vas you a-going to hear Carleton?" "I was," replied the poet, sadly aryl truthfully. "Am I in time to get there before he begins?" "Oh, sure! you haf lakesful of time," rejoined the other. "Haf you efer heard him?" "Yes," replied Carleton, mournfully. "Several times." "Do you know him personal?" ' "Not very well," replied Carleton, wearily. "Do you?" "Sure!" replied the clothing-store man. "I haf had some hot times with him In New York. He is a high-roller, now, I tell you. He owes me for a suit of clothes now, but I do not press the bill." "You will never get it," replied Carleton. "Veil, it is all right if I don't," replied re-plied the Hebrew. ' We owe something some-thing to such men. Haf you a seat?" "Why, no," replied the lecturer. "I thought it would be easy enough to secure se-cure one when I got there." "You will not," replied the other. "They are all sold. But you seem t be a good fellow, and you may haf mine, if you only bay the admission fee. I know the manager, and he vil put me somevheres." The lecturer promised to avail himself, him-self, if necessary, of the other's generosity, gener-osity, and they went in together. H is said that the Jew's face was a study when he saw his "high-roller" companion compan-ion throw off his overcoat and mount the platform. Indianapolis Journal. |