$45  Virginia  Street 
Slmhurst,  I 1 1 „ 
January  24,  1925* 
Dear  Mr*  Deane: 
lb  is  good  to  exchange  greetings  with  you,  and  I  am  going 
to  disprove  your  assertion  that  you  can't  get  the  good  story  -  in  reply 
to  your  own  very  good  one  -  by  sending  herewith  while  fresh  in  my  mind 
some  that  wsr3  retailed  to  me  by  a  friend  who  was  present  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  "forty  Club"  in  Chicago*  This  club  is  composed  of  news¬ 
paper  writers,  cartoonists,  and  wags,  who  are  never  so  happy  as  when  they 
are  putting  something  over  on  oneanother*  Sidney  Smith  (not  the  famous 
Sidney)  had  this  "riddle"  put  up  to  him:  A  man  is  standing  on  the  middle 
of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge*  Beneath  is  passing  a  war  vessel  bound  up  stream 
to  the  Navy  lard*  Above  his  head  is  an  Army  airplane  bound  in  the  opposite 
direction*  Repeat  the  facts  of  this  situation  so  that  every  detail  is  duly 
impressed  on  your  mind,  stressing  the  naval  and  the  army  unit*  Now  what 
was  the  man's  name?  Of  course  all  give  it  up*  The  man's  name  was  Smith* 
When  Sidney  asked  "Why?"  he  received  the  answer  "Because  that  was  the  name 
of  his  father"*  Another  one  was  told,  A  husky  looking  individual  was 
driving  a  large  farm  wagon  over  a  ioad  none  too  good  and  struggling  with 
six  mules  who  were  drawing  the  load*  He  paused  for  a  rest  opposite  a  gate 
on  which  a  farmer  was  swinging, and  asked  for  a  drink*  He  was  offered  spring 
water  but  expressed  his  preference  for  something  more  stimulating*  He  was 
given  a  glass  of  moonshine*  Then  wanted  to  know  if  the  farmer  hadn't  some¬ 
thing  stronger*  The  latter  said  he  had  some  carbolic  acid  and  the  driver 
allowed  that  would  do*  After  disposing  of  it  with  great  satisfaction  he  was 
starting  on  when  his  host  asked  "What  part  of  the  country  do  you  come  from?" 
He  replied,  "from  Tulsa, Oklahoma*  But  when  the  clan  broke  loose  the  soft 
ones  had  to  get  out  and  I  beat  it*"  Still  another  -  I  am  filling  you  yip, 
you  see*  four  specialists  had  gathered  to  examine  a  critical  case  and  had 
decided  after  their  consultation  that  the  patient's  condition  was  hopeless. 
Unbidden  there  entered  a  young  medic  only  lately  out  of  the  medical  school 
and  expressed  the  opinion( after  being  permitted  to  make  an  examination}  that 
if  he  had  the  case  the  patient  would  gat  well*  The  specialists  asked  him 
what  he  would  do,  to  which  he  repl isd"Not hing "*  He  wenfc  on  to  observe  that 
one  case  of  illness  out  of  ten  would  get  wall  without  any  medical  care,  and 
added  "My  last  nine  patients  have  died,  so  I  figure  this  one  will  get  well"* 
A  book  on  limericks  is  announced  to  make  its  appearance  shortly*  lb  is 
called  "The  Complete  Limerick  Book"  and  is  by  Langford  Reed.  He  says  he  has 
examined  16,000  limericks,  quite  a  number  by  distinguished  writers*  The  one 
he  considers  the  best  was  composed  by  "a  well-known  clergyman  who  prefers 
to  remain  anonymous: 
