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Show Barnum's Frankness. On one occasion Barnum had an elephant engaged in plowing on the sloping hill where It could plainly be seen by the passengers on the New Haven and Hartford railroad, an agricultural agri-cultural innovation that he knew would get notice of some sort in every newspaper in the country. It was even said that he received letters from farmers far and wide asking how much hay one elephant ate, and if it were more protahle to plow w-ith an elephant than with horses or oxen. His replies were invariably frank, and were of this purport: "If you have a large museum in New York, and a great railway company com-pany sends trains full of passengers within eyeshot of the performance, it will pay, and pay well; but if you have no such institution, then horses or oxen will .rove more economical." Not a Black Hand. A stenographer was out of a job. He was discussing the best ways and means of rehabilitating his ebbing bank roll with a friend who also was listed among the unemployed. Said the friend: "If I were you, I'd write a letter for money." "I have," replied the stenog. "For how much?' "Oh, $3,000." "Well?" asked the friend In astonishment. "Well," repeated the shorthand man sadly, "the letter asking for the $3,000 is all ready to mail, but IT1 be darned if I can think of anybody to mail it to." Louisville Times. My notion of a perfunctory performance per-formance is that given by two women wom-en engaged in kissing each other. Practice generally discovers what theory did not know. |