A Conscientious Clerk

A Qalveston grocer has boeu obsorving for sevcral weeks past that a groat many of hi9 customcrs had qnit him, aatt wero trading at a rival store over the way. Ho also noted that one of his clerks, who had been oouvertetl at a revival, r.iroly succeeded in .selling any goods at all to a customer. Ho had forme rly boon a very efficiënt eloik iti selling grooories, heneo the proprietor was very muoh bewildored. Yesterday morning tho proprietor carne down befon; the clerk made his appoarance, and, hiding behind a stack of boxes of Bino Jaoket's Láver Encouraging Bitters, wuited patiently for dovelopments. Presently the clerk eanie in, put on his apron, dusted oíf the counter, whistling " From Greenland's ley Mountains" as he did so. If was not Ion 2 bef ore a wealthy lady, whoso customïan up into the thousands annually, carne in, and asked the clerk if he had the celebrated B No. 8 sugar. He replied that they had, showecl her a sample, and she said she thought she would take about one hundred pounds. The conscientious clerk looked at the lady very earnestly, and askod: "Are 3'ou preparud to meet your Maker?" The lady stared in blauk amazeraent. " I want to know if you have family prayers regularly. and if your family are fully prepared for a blissful hereafler bevond the grave; for if you are not you can't get the sugai", that's all. There is enough chloride of tin in 0110 huudred pounds of sugar to kill the last one of you, and I don't want anybody's blood on my hands, particularly when they aro leading wicked Uves and not fit to die," ana he put the Gover on the sugar barrel and strolled OUttOthedoor Whistling " Oíd Hundred." The lady flaimted herself out of the store, her f acó as red as tire, but it was not any redder than that of the proprietor, who was only waiting for an opportunity torend that clerk limb from limb. Fortunately, sevoral customers carne in, and the proprietor drew in his breath, gritted hit teeth and waited as best he oould for the hour of vengeance to strike. "Have you got any claret- gonuinc French claret?" "Who do you want it for?" " I waot it for a friend of mine outin the country?' " Has he got a good eonstitution?" " No, he is in feeble hoallh, and I want it to help build up his system." "We make our genuino claret ourselves down in the cellar. The propriotor atteuds to that himself. Of late the infusions of log-wood and other dye-stuffs we get from tlie druggist have boen ot' auch poor (jmility that our genuine claret wont do for me to recommend. Ican'iconscientiously cío so. You had better let your friend dio r natural death," Tho man said he was mnch obliged for the infiirmatioii; but the clerk said hu was only doinr hit! duty, and hé whistlod, "Wheu 7 Can Read My Title Olear, " as thc customer etrollud off. Other öustomerè tíocked in, but he flrmly refusud to seli theni a dimo's wortn. He explaincd to a cadaveronslooking woman that hor dsspeptic apMiriiK-c wu due tó the ühina (Oav iu tho llour, aud Clife glñooseand sulpnuric acid in the golden sirup siio wantod lo parchase. Another lady warited tea. The good clerk said: ".Madame, if you were to drop dead aud wnko up whero thore is weeping, aml %v.iiln', anl gnashing of leoth, 1 oould nover Bleap al night afterward. You oould not bay a pound of tea al I his esUiblishnttent for all tho wealth of tho fndies. The color of the tea is produced by Prussian blue, whicli causes ossitioatlon of the valvular systein of tho heart. lean see by your leathery complexion, that i.s causod lj' tho tannin in tea, that you are' not long for'this world. How do I kiiow vou have made your peace with Hoaven?" "Got auy good codee?" asked afresh customer. " We have somo be:ins faced with phosphate oi calcimu and sulphate of liadum, but the man who gets any of it had to show 11 ole;m bilí of health from his spiritual adviser." There was no trade with that man, eilhur. Final ly. when there were no customers in the store, tho interview betweeu the enraged storokoeper and his clerk took place, but the clerk so impressively warned the grocer- with au ax-haudle - not to approach too close unloss he was prepared to go home, that their business relations wore dissolved by mutual consent. Tho moral of all of whleh is that things are not always what they seem. -Qalveston News. '1'iiK peaoh orchard of John H. Parnell in Troup County. (i:t.. is said to be the larest in the wörld. It covers two hundred and iifty acres of land, and will probably yield 70.000 this year. Its owner is ü, near relativo of Charles Stuart Parnel!, M. P., tho Irish agitator. A KKCENT issue oí' a Ru'.síau newspaper oontained notbing but advcrüscments and the followlntr: " Through a cause not our own. the original rrtioles prepared for this lastra cannot be publislied, therefore we publisb only adver. tisements."