In Lighter Mood

IN LIGHTER MOOD.

Professor Syle, of the University of California, tells this story of himself: At the beginning of the last session, while calling the roll of the new students; he came to the name, Miss Sara Greene. He stopped to express disapproval of the final "e" in her name, by asking "G-r-e-e-n-e, —does that spell Green or Greenie?" Miss Greene responded promptly: "S-y-l-e; does that spell Syle or Silly?" Success.

The judge of one of the United States Circuit Courts, has a five- year-old niece, of whom he is very proud. A few days ago, she came to him, and said, with a very serious air: "Uncle, there is a question about law I want to ask you." "Well, dear, what is it?" patiently inquired the judge. "Uncle, if a man had a peacock, and it went into another man's yard, and laid an egg, who would the egg belong to?" The judge smiled indulgently, and replied: "Why, the egg would belong to the man who owned the peacock; but he could be prosecuted for trespassing, if he went on the other's property, to get it." The child seemed very much interested in the explanation, and then observed, innocently: "Uncle, did it ever occur to you, that a peacock couldn't lay an egg?" The Law Review.

At the end of a day's journey a traveler stopped for a night at a small rancher's sback in Montana. As he sat on the door-step with his host, a troop of children began playing about them. The New York Times reports this conversation: "These children all yours?" inquired the traveler. "Yep." "How many?" "Let's see," and the rancher hesitatingly began counting them up on his fingers. Pretty soon a drove of hogs came into view. "Yours?" asked the traveler. "Yep." "How many?" "Five hundred and sixty-three," was the instant response.— Youth's Companion.