AN OPTICAL DELUSION,

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 309, 21 March 1879, Page 17

AN OPTICAL DELUSION,

The Colonel, a rigid martinet, is sitting at the window of his room, when, looking out, he sees a captain crossing the barrack yard towards the gate. Looking at him closely, he is shocked to observe that the rules and regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, the the captain does not carry a sword. " Captain I" he calls from the window ; " hi, Captain I step up to my room for a moment, will ?" The Captain obeys promptly, borrows a sword of the officer of the guard-room, being at the foot of the stairs, and presents himself to the Colonel in irreproachable ienue. The Colonel is somewhat surprised to see the sword in its place, and, having to invent some pretext for calling his subordinate back, says, with some confusion, " I beg your pardon, Captain, but really I have forgotten what it was I wanted to speak to you about; However, it can't have been anything very important ; it'll keep. Good morning." The Captain salutes, departs, returns the sword to its owner, and is making off across tbe barrack yard, when he again comes within the range of the Colonel's vision. The Colonel rubs his eyes, stares, says softly to himself, '• How in thunder is this ? He hasn't a sword to his waist ;" then calls aloud, " Captain ! Oh, Captain ! One moment, please." The Captain returns, borrows the sword again, mounts the stairs, and enters the Colonel's presence. His commanding officer stares at him intensely ;he has a sword ; he sees it, he hears it clank. " Captain," he stammers, growing very hot, " it's ridiculous, you know, but— ha 1 ha! I'd just remembered what I wanted to say to you, and now, ha ! ha ! it's gone out of my head again. Funny, isn't it ? — ha ! ha 1 ha ! Losing my memory. Never mind. I'll think of it, and write you. Good morning.'' The Captain salutes, departs, returns the sword to its owner, and makes for the gate. As. he crosses the barrack yard, the Colonel calls his wife to his side, and says, " See that officer out there?" "Yes." "Has he got a sword on ?" The Colonel's wife adjusts her eyeglass upon him, scans him keenly, and says, "He hasn't a taste of a sword." The Colonel — " That's just where you deceive yourself. He has." — Exchange.