Swallowed A Stick--a Fish Story

I remembor one time, ít luid been Dlowing hard for several weeks on and ff, and there was hardly a dish of fish ;o be got for love orraouey. Having litóle to do-, a foreman nt one of the shops iere iianied Toto Uound, got hold of a ;urbot with hardly au ounce of flosh upon it, a mere skin, indeed, and amused himself by trjing to sell it But it was no go and no wdrider. The thing lad been kicked about the shop for neariy a weekj and had stiveral very narrow escapes of the refuse basket; Directly anybody took it up, being abcüt aS liinp tts a shirt collar in a BlioVeí of rain, its want of flesh was at once detected. Well what does Mr. Torn do but cut a long stick into a skewer, and thrust it into ;he nape of the fish's neck, and so right along his backbone down to the beginning of hia tail. It was now as1 stift1 as if it had tlot seen out of water twenty-foür hoürs. ïhen he gets a wallet of wet paper, makes a pad on the board, and throws the turbot on it. It was a great success -the creature looked as plump as a bun. It ltly tliere an hour or two, and a great deal of chafl' had been flred Over it Whettj behold you, along comes a gentleman in E ankeen 8, buff waistcoat and blue coat with gilt. buttons. Hé stops and eyes the deceitiul one with quite a pleasant smilo. 1 How n,fe the turbots to-day" ? ' says he. ' Very scarco indeed, sir,' is the reply ; 'that one is seventeán and six.' ' Is there enough fish for eight?' says the gentleman. ' AU depends on what sort of fseders they are(' rejlliod Toili) hardly able tö coatain himself or keep his countenance; ' at all evenís, I can teil you ono thing - you won't find its equal in the trade.' ' Will yoil bate a litllf crown '(' says old nankeens. 'Half crowrij sir!' exolairaed Tora; ' no sir ; I dpn't inind knocking off the odd sixpencè.' ' Very well I bate it,' says the ether. Torn dare Hot give it to any df tha rüen to clean He did that himself, popped it iuto a basket, a porter was called, the Sustoruer paid his uioney and departed, iííid Torn shut Up the shop and departed, too. Three days afterwards. iudeo Qt Air. Toai's horror, on suddenly discovering himself face to fuco with the Belt' samn gentleman. There was a gravity in the old chap's face that boded ill to the salesman. To uso ths fasoal a owa expression; he feit a8 if he would have liked the earth to open and swallow hiiu up, " I beliove," said the old gentleman, íixing a keen and steady eye on the culprit ". you are the persort of whoni I purchased a turbot, one day this week ?" Konnd's heat t thumped heavily against his side. He feit the blood ïnount to bis cheek. Thore was nö escapei "It might have been iny Hïate( sir," replied he " we're very much alike." ""iio, yon are the inanj I'm certain." " Well, sir," stammered the coiiscionoestricken eng, " I can't say; You see sir, I see, sir, so many peeple in a day, sir ; but if it was me, sir, 1 hope it ate well, sir, Ihough it can't always be depended on at this time df ths yearj sir." " As regurds the flsh, what thpre was Of it." resumed the castomer, " ate well enough, but it was reniarkably poor, and no wonder, for we fonnd the cause of its want of subsistente on its ooioing to the table." Torn feit a great seftse of relief at this, but his eyes nearly started oüt of his head with astonisliment as the other oontinutíd : "At some time tliat poor creature had swaliowed a pieee of stiek which had forced its way right down the spinal column to its very tail. lts sulferitigs must have been intenso. How eer the thing could have lived at all I cönnot think. It is a remarkable f act in the natural histofy of üshes. The strek I have taken care of, and with its legeiïd plaeed it in a eabinet of curiosities which I JioSSnsS." With that the old chap d'cpaïtcd, leaving Torn heartily blessing him for his credulityi and thanking his own stars at having esoaped so easily.