" Of Two Evils."
A Cilifornian pioneer the other day told a Btory of Btunip-speaking in the golden State. A turbid orator, so noted for his verbosity and heaviness that ho had been dubbed "Melancholy" M'Cul'um, was told off to speak at a mining ctuap in the mountain!. There were about 50 miners present when he began ; but as, at the end of a couple of hours, he gave no signs of finishing, his listeners dropped sway. Some went back to work, but the majority sought to quench their thirst, which had bcea immensely aggravated by the dryness of the di«couwe. Finally, there was but one auditor left — a shabby, weavj -1 ok'ng old fellow. Fixing bis g«zo upon him, M'Cullum palled out a siz-sho ter aud laid it upon the table. The old man rose slowly and drawled out : " Be you going to shoot ef I go ? " •'You bet I Mn!" responded H'Culfmn. 11 I'm bound to finish my speech, even if I have to shoct to keep an audience." The old fello.v sighed in a tired manner and edged off slowly, saying as he did so : " Wai, ye kin do so eF ye want ter. I m»y jetst as well be shot as txlked to death."
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18960514.2.271
Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 52
Word Count
207" Of Two Evils." Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 52
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