George Seton

A Budget of Anecdotes Chiefly Relating to the Current Century George Seton

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1887 Excerpt: ... Ill XIV. MISCELLANEOUS. in the case of numerous compilations, a miscellaneous or omnium gatherum section is generally found useful as the receptacle of everything that cannot be properly referred to any special division. Scotch readers know the meaning of the expression "free toom "; but I trust that none of mine will regard the contents of this section as rubbish. Indeed, I incline to think that some of the best anecdotes in the collection will be found among the following illustrations. Perhaps a few of them ought to have been assigned to some of the previous sections; but, through the medium of the index, no difficulty should be experienced in tracing any particular story. The rough twofold division into Scotch and English will probably prove useful. 1. CHIEFLY SCOTTISH. 229. A scene on the scaffold.--The unfortunate Lord Balmerino, of 1745, having expressed a strong wish to his executioner that he should make sure work in his decapitation, was informed that he need feel no anxiety on the subject. It so happened, however, that, although all but severed from the body, the head remained attached by a slender piece of skin. The eyes of the victim turned reproachfully to the executioner, who coolly said, "Just give your lordship's head a shake, and it will be all right!" His lordship obeyed the injunction, and the head forthwith fell from the block.1 230. "Eather officious."--Some years ago, on the arrival of a train from Glasgow at the Greenock railway station, one of the passengers nearest the platform, in the compartment of a first-class carriage, volunteered to collect the tickets, and presented them to the official, who at once discovered that one of them was of old date, and demanded the price of the ticket. "Do you know who I am, sir?" was the indigna...