Could Afford to Laugh.

Otago Witness, Issue 2170, 26 September 1895, Page 49

Could Afford to Laugh.

A keen eoess of humour is a great; consoler at certain tirces. " One night," says an American writer, " I was hurrying down a street in New York when I met two detectives walking along with a young npgro between them. It was easy to see that he was under arrest, yet as I pas ed he laughed merrily and said : " Good evenin', Mr S ." " Good evenir g," I replied, though I did not recognise the voice or the face of my Soneg*nibian acquaintance. The fi Ilowing afternoon, when I went into my barber's shop, the negro porter began to laugh heartily. " Saw you out pretty late last night, Mr S ," he said. Then I knew that Sam, tLe porter, was the prisoner of the night before. He proceeded bo explain that be bad been arrested by mistake and honourably discharged. He had been suspected of conuu'ttipg a burglary, but had uo difficulty in proving tbat he was some hundred miles away on the night of the crime. "I am glad to bear yru got free, S&ru," I said ; " but what were you laughiug abLut so heartily when I mot you ? " " I was jess chuckliu' to think of the joke I had on them fool detectives. Heah they had been to the trouble of comin' to my house at midnight, wakin' me up, aud hustlin' me eff to the police elation. Of co'ifie, I knowed all the time I wasn't the fellah they wanted, but they didn't know it, so tho laugh was agin 'em."