A Patent Office Incident

The patent office official bowed politely from his place at his desk as the visitar in clothes of cleric cut and a smooth faca grceted him with a subdued ' ij-jod nioming, sir. " "Good rncrning, " responded the official, with a cheerful, $150 a nionth mannor. "Is there anything we eau da for you this morning?" "I doii't know really, sir, " crooned the cali er softly. "To know if yon can is the object of iny visit this morning, sir." "Very well, state your case, and if we can do anything for yon you niay rest assured it will be done." The visitor cleared his throat pretty much as if he were going to deliver a sermón. "I think," he said slowly and with hesitation, "if I mistake not, that I saw a statement in sonie one of the public prints to the effect that this office would not issue a patent on Sunday. Is that true, sir?" "Quite true. It does not." "Why is that, sir; if I may ask?" "It is against the rules of the office is all I know. ' ' "Will it issue one on any other day of the seven, sir?" "Certainly it will. That is what it is here for. ' ' "Oh, thank yon, how nice, " twittered the visitor, taking a large madras handkerchief from his coattail pocket, shaking it out and wiping his brow with it. ' ' That being the case, if you will be kind enongh to let me have one on Tuesday, sir, you will do me a great personal favor. You see, sir, Tuesday ia my birthday, and I want a patent on it so no one can use it for birthdav