A GOOD STORY BY BARNUM.

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 134, 8 June 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

A GOOD STORY BY BARNUM.

? o I once went to hear Barnum telly ing stories at Lady Aberdeen's. a. The funniest of them illustrated the t height of meanness. A man in " our' b towu " had opened a store and [i offered free drinkstocuetomers. One s night entered a stranger whli . " What's the price of daruing v needles ?" " A cent apiece." " And y whatdoyougiveforeggß?" "Sixpence . a dozen." "Well, that's a cent p apiece too, isn't it ? 8o I think I'll - take a darning needle and leave a this egg." The exchange was - effected, and then the egg man said, -, " You promised a treat to each customer." " Well, what will you have?"," "I guess I'll have a glass of sherry wine." The glass of sherry was brought. Looking at it thoughtfully, the customer observed ; "It's a very curious thing, but somehow I never could drink sherry x . wine without an egg in it." " Well, * you shall have it," said the store- '' keeper. As the contents fell into 0 the sherry, it was seen that the egg » had two yolks. " Well now," said " the drinker, "my wife would be a blessed if she knew that— to J think • that'she had parted with two yolks '' for one darning needle. You really B must give me another '"for that » second yolk."

a The flower trade of London is estimated t to amount to £5000 a day. t It appears that when the Siberian Raily way is finished, mails and passengers will reach China in fifteen days and Japan in sixteen days. As they at present, taking the shortest route across the Atlantic, c Canada, and the Pttoißo, arrive in Japan in v twenty-eight days, and in China in thirtjr- , one days, and it will be Been that this raily way will shorten tho distance between i Europe and the Far East by nearly one- . half.