LITTLE STINGS THE BENIGN MOTHER "POVERTY never did any good former. in the world," cried the re "Yet she appears to have stood in a maternal relation to considerable fine writing," observed the philoso A LITTLE STINGS THE FASHION PRINCE determined to take to authorship. And he called for his fool and told him of his purpose, adding that he thought he should begin by producing a considerable poem. "Well," remarked the fool, "if you do it in the best modern minor manner, it is simply a question of saying nothing, finely." A LITTLE STINGS BRETHREN TINKER read a sweet poem about the brotherhood of man. And later he spied the author of that poem in the market-place, and ran up to him, and grabbed him by the hand, and said, "My brother—my dear brother, let us go and pick a bit o' dinner together!" And the poet answered that he was not in the habit of picking bits of dinner with persons whom he did not have the honour to know. A LITTLE STINGS THE AFFABLE MAN MAN who exuded affability, and whose speech was compli ment, met a brawny fish-wife that squinted and had a broken nose. "Poor creature," reflected the affable man, pained by her ugliness, “I will say soothing things to her, so that for once in a way she may be happy." And smiling affably he adventured, "Good soul, we live in a sad world, but rest assured that virtue is better |