Its Dry Streaks.

Otago Witness, Issue 2106, 5 July 1894, Page 50

Its Dry Streaks.

It is said that the best way to collect a library is to know each book ere it goes to its place on the sbelf. The old gentleman in the following anecdote evidently intended to follow the rule to the letter. A man happened to go into a Dakota settler's house one day, and noticed the first volume of an encyclopedia on tho sbelf, and casually suggested that it was a good thing to have in the house, or words to that effect.

" Yes," tho settler replied, "it's handy. I only got the first book."

"How does it happen that you haven't the others ? "

"W'y, I hain't read that one yet, an' I hain't ready for 'nother. Ye see, I got it off an agent when I was livin' down in lowa, an' 'bout six months after round he comes agin, an' knocked at the door, an' I opened it, au" says he :

'Mister, here's the secon' book of your cyclopedy."

'• ' Get out ! ' says I ; ' I hain't gob the first one read yet ! ' an' I made him go, too. W'y, jes' think of it. That was nigh on to 10 year ago, an' I ain't more'n two-thirds through this now, an' my wife is only jes' nicely started on the B's !

" It took a pile o' brains to make this 'ere book, I've no doubt, but I tell ye it's my opinion, an' I don't mind sayin' it, that I think it's got its dry streaks, like most everything else."