A Treacherous Coward 



O Monstrous Coward ! What, to oome behind folks ? 



— Henry VT. 



I WOULD ask my readers if any of them has ever 

 scraped an acquaintance with lumbago ? He who has, 

 probably knows, as I do, that of all the ills that flew 

 from out Pandora's box it is the meanest and most 

 treacherous. I say " treacherous " for I know of none 

 in the whole catalogue that is so much in the habit of 

 sneaking behind a man and, in an unwary moment, 

 stabbing him in the back. 



To him, however, who has thus far been lucky 

 enough to escape a stab, I will give a bit of pointed 

 advice ; and it may prove useful should his luck ever 

 desert him. The point of the advice has been sharp- 

 ened by my own experience, and the burden of it is — 

 trousers. What has lumbago to do with trousers? 

 Well, it is quite evident that he knows little about the 

 ins and outs of lumbago, or he wouldn't ask the ques- 

 tion. Now listen. If in the course of human events 

 his luck should chance to go to sleep and thus give the 

 lumbago an opportunity to creep up behind him and 

 get a whack at his lumbar regions, he will soon dis- 

 cover where my advice comes in. Here it is, and it 



isn't lengthy — let him beware of getting out of his 



2U 



