PAPAL STATE: Whaleboning in St. Peter's

Kneeling with devout mien near the poor box adjacent to the Altar of Confession in St. Peter's last week, one Giuseppe de Palois stealthily extracted from his breast pocket a slender, quivering piece of whalebone.

While priestly lips formed the Latin syllables of a majestic chant, a small wad of chewing gum issued from the lips of Signor de Palois became imperceptibly affixed to the tip of his whalebone.

With infinite caution he now rested his left arm against the poor box, and, bending down as though in profound prayer introduced the gum-tipped...

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