72 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



March 



A. European Idea. 



Orseof tl:e most clunacteristic features 

 of Europe-.'.ii prisous as a whole is that 

 prisoners are allowed to have a portioc 

 of their earuii^gs. This system prevails 

 in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, 

 Eussia, Sweden, Denmark and other 

 countries. The amount earned by the 

 prisoners varies considerably where it 

 depends upon piece work. In France the 

 average salary of the prisoner is 35 cents 

 a "uy. Of, this amount the prisoner is 

 allowed tu spend one-half while in pris- 

 on for supplementary food and clothing, 

 postage, etc. , though no expenditure is 

 made without the approval of the ad- 

 ministration The other half is reserved 

 until the time of his discharge. A three 

 years' prisoner has to his credit on leav- 

 ing an average of $50, a fonr years' 

 prisoner $7() and a five years' prisoner 

 about $90. — Chicago Record. 



SxperimentinST. 



Some gentlemen, cruising round a 

 part of the Irish coast, observing that 

 about the same hour every day a boat 

 containing two men and a woman took 

 its passengers from the shore, and after 

 a short time returned with them, in- 

 quired the reason. 



"My men," said one, "what makes 

 yon come cut here every day? Is it that 

 you like it so much?" 



"Oh, your honor, not at all, but, 

 your honor, the wife and me's going 

 soon toAustraiy, and so we're just prac- 

 ticing the saysickness, that we may be 

 used to it when we start. " 



"Well, and do you find yourselves im- 

 proving?" 



"Ah, sure, your honor, the wife's ill 

 every day, but she's gettingonpurtily !" 

 —Strand Magazine. 



first S:g:iit of a Railway Train. 



A country boy who was brought up in 

 a remote region of Scotland had occasion 

 to accompany his father to a village 

 near which a branch line of railway 

 passes. The morning after his arrival, 

 when sauntering in the garden behind 

 the house in which they were staying, 

 he beheld with wondering eyes a train 

 go by. For a moment he stood staring 

 at it with astonishment, and then, run- 

 ning into the house, he said: "Fayther, 

 fayther, comeoot. There's a smiddv ran 



off wi' a row o' houses, an it's awa' 

 floon by the back o' the town." — Lon- 

 don Telegraph. 



The Butcher and His Customers. 



"What, 're legs o' mutton selling for ?" 

 asked Griddlerack, entering the butch- 

 er's shop of Cleaves. 



Cleaves looks about him cautiously 

 and then whispers, "We're asking 14, 

 but we'll let you have it for 13. " 



"Comeuow," says Griddlerack, "none 

 of your shinanigans. You just sold a leg 

 to Eabbage for 12>^." 



To this Cleaves promptly replies : "But 

 not for such mutton as this. I could sell 

 you such mutton as I sold to Rabbage for 

 10 cents — if I had any left. " 



"Nonsense! I saw yon when you cut 

 it off, and I know it came off the same 

 sheep that this did." 



Cleaves — You're a sharp one, you are, 

 Griddlerack. There's no getting the 

 start o' you. And nobody wants to. 

 Leastwise, I don't. Let me tell you the 

 dead truth about it, Griddlerack. Rab- 

 bage's leg did come off the same critter, 

 and I did sell him for 12)2, but what's 

 a fellow going to do? Rabbage is such 

 a confoundedly close buyer, it's next to 

 impossible to sell him. So when he 

 came in just now I put the price way 

 down, but he didn't get ahead of me so 

 much as he thought he was going to. I 

 cheated him on the weight — see? 



Griddlerack — Oh, that so? All right 

 then ; I'll t#ike that leg. — Boston Tran- 

 script. 



Different Views. 



"Do yoti ever go to church?" asked a 

 city missionary of a woman who had 

 applied to him for assistance. 



"No, I don't," was the reply. "The 

 fact is, I ain't fit things to wear. My 

 husband's been out 0' work so long I've 

 run out 0' things, and, anyhow, me and 

 my husband have such diff'rent views 

 I'd have to go alone if I went at all. " 



"What are your views:" 



"Well, I'm a Methodist, and my hus- 

 band, he's one o' these here Knights o* 

 Eithiiiii, " — Youlli's Conmanlon. 



First Negro Minstrel. 



The first man who ever sang a negro 

 song on the stage was an actor named 

 Herbert. He sat in a chair before the 

 curtain. He painted his face with black 



T)aiiit.. taiiiied jiotk h a inrr tl> a » jj*^* ^" ""■■ *- 



