A man stepped out of the darkness into the little illuminated circle about our failing camp-fire and seated himself upon a rock.      'You are not the first to explore this region,' he said gravely.      Nobody controverted his statement; he was himself proof of its truth, for he was not of our party and must have been somewhere near when we camped. More...

    A widow weeping on her husband's grave was approached by an Engaging Gentleman who, in a respectful manner, assured her that he had long entertained for her the most tender feelings.      "Wretch!" cried the Widow. "Leave me this instant! Is this a time to talk to me of love?"      "I assure you, madam, that I ha...

    An Ingenious Man who had built a flying-machine invited a great concourse of people to see it go up. At the appointed moment, everything being ready, he boarded the car and turned on the power. The machine immediately broke through the massive substructure upon which it was builded, and sank out of sight into the earth, the aeronaut springing out barely in time to save himself. ...

Having obtained an audience of the King an Ingenious Patriot pulled a paper from his pocket, saying:      "May it please your Majesty, I have here a formula for constructing armour-plating which no gun can pierce. If these plates are adopted in the Royal Navy our warships will be invulnerable, and therefore invincible. Here, also, are reports of your Majesty's Ministers, ...

A Hare having ridiculed the slow movements of a Tortoise, was challenged by the latter to run a race, a Fox to go to the goal and be the judge. They got off well together, the hare at the top of her speed, the Tortoise, who had no other intention than making his antagonist exert herself, going very leisurely. After sauntering along for some time he discovered the Hare by the wayside, apparently as...

Of two men who were talking one was a physician.      'I sent for you, Doctor,' said the other, 'but I don't think you can do me any good. Maybe you can recommend a specialist in psychopathy. I fancy I'm a bit loony.'      'You look all right,' the physician said.      'You shall judge -- I have hallucinations. I wake every night and se...

'I am not so superstitious as some of your physicians - men of science, as you are pleased to be called,' said Hawver, replying to an accusation that had not been made. 'Some of you - only a few, I confess - believe in the immortality of the soul, and in apparitions which you have not the honesty to call ghosts. I go no further than a conviction that the living are sometimes seen where they are no...