Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1871 — He Hadn’t Any Objection. [ARTICLE]

He Hadn’t Any Objection.

The author of St. Twel’mo, noted for his love of a practical joke and a slight impediment in his speech, was “ on duty” at the Fair of the American Institute, and finding a convenient point of rest behind a pyramid of paste and blacking, went quietly to work to write up his notes. He had just completed a glowing eulogium on the merits ot a patent bean-sifter when he was interrupted by a. tall countryman, who asked: “ Haow do ye sell yer blackin’, mister?” “ 1 d-d don’t sell it,” said the absorbed writer. “ Don’t gin it away, du ye ?” said the querist handling a box covetously. “ I ha-ha-havn’t g-g-given away any yet,” replied the still busy knight of the pencil. “ Hain’t got any objections to my takin’ a box, have ye ?” persisted the torment. “ N-n-n-not the 1-l least in the world,” said the now thoroughly aroused joker, calmly closing his book, and beaming Waniily k upon his interrogator. The ’’countryman immediately seized upon n dox of the polish; a sharp boy standing near followed his example; the news of free blacking spread among other shaip boys, and the pyramid of blacking was speedily reduced to a plain, when the newspaper man was overtaken a little distance further in the hall by the blacking dealer, irate and red-faced, witli two policemen, who had the original offender and half a dozen boys in custody. ‘ What the blazes do you mean,” said the man of polish, in anything but polished language, “by setting people to steal my blacking ?” “ M-m-rny dear sir,” said the paragraphex, urbanely, “the g-g-gentleman asked me if I ha-ha-had any objections to his t-t-t-tahing a box of the blacking, and I hadn’t any objections at all, and I d-d don’t know why I should have-.” And he walked quietly on in pursuit of his labors, leaving Messrs. Day & Martin to charge a gross of paste blacking to profit and loss.