| OCR Text |
Show THEY WERE ALL HANKS. But They Were Muscular FeUows and Didn't Mean to Be Guyed, In the Western Reserve about eight out of ten men you meet are called Henry, or, rattier, christened Henry and called Hank, according to the Topical Talker of the Pittsburgh Pitts-burgh Dispatch. A newspaper man who is given to amusing amus-ing himself in eccentric ways was once at a loss for a hearty laugh while traveling toward Cleveland over the Lake Shore railroad. rail-road. He and his companion knew that about three hours of accommodation-train weariness lay before them, and though they had a good many broad smiles in a quart bottle they desired something to shatter the monotony. An idea struck the newspaper man first. Ad the next station the train stopped at there was the usual crowd of gawky rustics assembled to see the train come in and go out. As the train was moving out the two travelers in search of fun raised the car windows, and, leaning out with an air of intense eagerness, shouted loudly over and over again: "Hank 1 Hullo, Hank 1" Nearly all the men sprang forward, and as they did so the jocose travelers fell back into their seats, laughing immoderately. They repeated this mild practical joke at several stations with the same results, and then the laugh went oven to the other side. They W6re leaving a small town, and making mak-ing the "Hanks" in the crowd go through the usual evolutions, when the engineer, for some reason or other, stopped the train. The jokers were still shouting "Hank! Hank !" when the cars came to a standstill. Several of the "Hanks" came up to the ear window, and wanted to know why they had been called. One very big fanner guessed the meaning of the whole business, and tried hard to reaohTtie head 01 the newa-liaper newa-liaper man with his fist. The crowd was about to board the cars and take vengeance on their tormentors when the conductor started the train in a hurry and pulied the latter out of danger. There was no more crying of "Hank!" after that , . |
