“Yis, your honor,” quickly responded the Celt, “there’s the sheriff there.”

Whereupon the sheriff evinced signs of great amazement.

“Why, your honor,” declared he, “I don’t even know the man.”

“Observe, your honor,” said the Irishman, triumphantly, “observe that I’ve lived in the country for over twelve years an’ the sheriff doesn’t know me yit!  Ain’t that a character for ye?”

We must have a weak spot or two in a character before we can love it much.  People that do not laugh or cry, or take more of anything than is good for them, or use anything but dictionary-words, are admirable subjects for biographies.  But we don’t care most for those flat pattern flowers that press best in the herbarium.—­O.W.  Holmes.

CHARITY

“Charity,” said Rev. B., “is a sentiment common to human nature.  A never sees B in distress without wishing C to relieve him.”

Dr. C.H.  Parkhurst, the eloquent New York clergyman, at a recent banquet said of charity: 

“Too many of us, perhaps, misinterpret the meaning of charity as the master misinterpreted the Scriptural text.  This master, a pillar of a western church, entered in his journal: 

“’The Scripture ordains that, if a man take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.  To-day, having caught the hostler stealing my potatoes, I have given him the sack.’”

THE LADY—­“Well, I’ll give you a dime; not because you deserve it, mind, but because it pleases me.”

THE TRAMP—­“Thank you, mum.  Couldn’t yer make it a quarter an’ thoroly enjoy yourself?”

Porter Emerson came into the office yesterday.  He had been out in the country for a week and was very cheerful.  Just as he was leaving, he said:  “Did you hear about that man who died the other day and left all he had to the orphanage?”

“No,” some one answered.  “How much did he leave?”

“Twelve children.”

“I made a mistake,” said Plodding Pete.  “I told that man up the road I needed a little help ‘cause I was lookin’ for me family from whom I had been separated fur years.”

“Didn’t that make him come across?”

“He couldn’t see it.  He said dat he didn’t know my family, but he wasn’t goin’ to help in bringing any such trouble on ’em.”

“It requires a vast deal of courage and charity to be philanthropic,” remarked Sir Thomas Lipton, apropos of Andrew Carnegie’s giving.  “I remember when I was just starting in business.  I was very poor and making every sacrifice to enlarge my little shop.  My only assistant was a boy of fourteen, faithful and willing and honest.  One day I heard him complaining, and with justice, that his clothes were so shabby that he was ashamed to go to chapel.

“‘There’s no chance of my getting a new suit this year,’ he told me.  ‘Dad’s out of work, and it takes all of my wages to pay the rent.’