He Got the Information

At a country fair a machine which bore a sign reading, “How to Make Your Trousers Last,” occupied a prominent position in the grounds and attracted much attention, says “Harper’s Weekly.” A countryman who stood gaping before it was told by the exhibitor, a person with a long black mustache, a minstrel-stripe shirt, and a ninety-four-carat diamond in a red cravat, that for one cent deposited in the slot the machine would dispense its valuable sartorial advice. The countryman dug the required coin from the depths of a deep pocket and dropped it in the slot. Instantly the machine delivered a card on which was neatly printed:

“Make your coat and waistcoat first.”