An Insurance Man Tells a Tarn.

Otago Witness, Issue 2058, 3 August 1893, Page 50

An Insurance Man Tells a Tarn.

" I made a very foolish slip one day, though," said the insurance" man. He had just been recounting some of the successful hits he had made in his own particular line, when a shadow had stolen across £ts genial face, which, however, he quickly pjreeived had not escaped onr notice, so he was 'good enough to proceed with an explanation^? "The other day," he con- . tinued, ," I was taking a proposal from a Hebrew friend,' when "what do you think I was stupid enough to do but ask for his 'Christian' name. Myclientkept his temper and quietly replied, ' I have no Christian name,' and went on without further remark to furnish his •fall' name.' I felt' that I richly deserved to lose the proposal altogether for my crass stupidity. "Tell you another; oh! 'certainly. Once upon a time I was running an accident com- - pany, and my business took me up country. The landlord at the hotel I patronised kept an excellent table, and one day regaled his guests at dinner with a fine roast goose. Whether I was eating too fast I cannot say, but somehow during dinner a piece of ,skin became entangled in my uvula, producing a painful attack of choking. Having overcome my little trouble I resolved to make a point out of my little mißhap, so I said to my sympathising fellow diners, • That was a decided exemplification of the value of an accident policy. Had I lost my life my widow would have received £600, which .is the amount* of the policy I hold.' My object was unfortunately not attained, however, for all signs of sympathy vanished, my remarks being received with a perfect roar of laughter, and It afterwards dawned upon me that these

vandals -mistook my sufferings, which were horribly real, for a got-up affair to advertise my company. Alas for the rarity of Christian charity ! "