THE CASE STATED.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1983, 9 April 1906, Page 2

THE CASE STATED.

A lady with a long train bo her dress was walking along the street, when an old coloured man, pausing her, stepped on hei train with both feet, bearing it badly. The lady was very angry, and had the old mat) arrested for being disorderly. " What; has the prisoner been guilty of ?' asked the judge. " He was disorderly, your honour." " Who is the complaining witness?" "Here, your honour," and a lady was brought forward and regularly sworn. .She told wilh much asperity how the olc man at the bar had stepped on the train o. her dress, tearing it, and when he saw the dam:ige he had done, instead of apologising, he tried to get away. ■' Who represents the prisoner?" He pleads his own case." The old man was brought forward, a mild-mannered old fellow wearing spectacles and looking the embodiment of goodnatured dignity. " It's dis way, jedjje, concernin' dat lady. Here is a 'sposable case. 'Spose I walk filong de street wid my coat-tails a-spread out on de sidewalk, two irce feet, as proud a- a.peacock, an' neber look hehint and dat lady kum an'jes' plant her two dear sweet little bits of feet on dat coat-tail, you tink J goin' to make a fuss an' <;et dat nice lady 'rested? You tink ao, jedge ?" " I think,'' said the complaining witness at this moment, "that I have made a mistake. If the case is dismissed, I will pay the costs." The case was dismissed.

Few chess players could guess the origen of one of the most important terms in the game—the term checkmate. " Check' is a corruption of the Arab "sheikh" or king, and " mate" comes from the root of the Spanish matador, meaning slain. Checkmate means "the king is dead."

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