His Little Joke

Bob Keyworth of Houston s a tall man, ■ ;■ 'inl of 0 feet high, luit Le louks as f he -ns hoc long for tuis world. He is hollow uhested and so tuin that he look very miicn as if he liad i:ot had anything to eat m nee the war. When bfè passes along the streets, the andertakers corue out and cast a long, lingering g'.auce ac him, and no woniler, for Le has been inspiring them with liopes that have neyer been realized for the !:ist 20 years. He has. moreover, a hacking ough that ha the genuine graveyard ring lo it. Xot long ago it occurred to him that it wouldbeagood idea to have his life inHired. He hart previously experienceil i'Ome nstonishment tíhat he had never .sufi'ered f rom the importunity of life insurnnce agents. To his surprise, he discovored that the compunies were afj'aid to take any risks on his lif,'; that iii? was a bad subject, iishisdeath mi'iht at any time. Being of a somewhitt humorous turn of .mind, Bob maiie it a practica frora that time on to worry Ufo iiisurance agents on every possible or:ci'-k)n. Not l(M)g aince he tackled one in . :■ lobby of a Honston hotel. The agent r :-eented an Influeatial New York compa: y. [ntrodaoing hiüiself, Bob said: "I jubt üeaitl of your arrival and hurried over to see you. For some time past I have be wanting to get uiy lifeinsuved in some good company, and yours is iirst class.'' The agent gazed at the living anatomy before hira and was somewhat embarrassèd. He hem met' and hawed o few times and said hesitatin'dy that he was ouly taking first class risks and that his visitor seemed to be rather fceble. "Yes," said Hob, "I know I look couRumptive, biü !'ve looked this way all my life, and 1 aiuvt dead yet. My grandparents are living yel and are both upward of 90 years of age. The oíd man can thread a needie without crutches - í mean without glasses. I'm good fov 100 myself." The agent siiook his head in a depreentory sort of way. "I never get druuk or cómtnit suicide and have the digestive powt-r of au anaconda," continued Bob persuasively. '■I d'on't care to insure yonr life," said the agent, with ihereasing firmneas. "That's wh;:t all thi say vvhen I talk to them, but Í am oiïering you special indueements. It is a sucred duty you owe your coui;xLi:y to insure my life, my dear sir. You may die before night, and then you will regret having refused my oiler. If the company hears of it, they will doek yonr salary, and I shall malee it my duty to let them know how you are neglecting their interfeüts." "Excuse me, but 1 have a business engagement," stiid the agent? trying to get away, but Bob reached out a skeleton hand and detaiued him, saying: "[ have l)een vacoinated several times, and it took each time. Besideslam a man oí innuence aere, ;uiu i: ; ou succeea ni ínsuring me there's no telling how rnany other prominent citizens of Houston you will capture." ' "I'm too busy to listen to you." "I dou't wish to bore you," replied Bob, "so I will cali agaiii later in the day, when we will talií it over." The sníVcring agent rushed out of the hotel, and Bub laughed until the tears