“‘Cannot?’ repeated the girl, a shade of anger tinging the tone in which the words were uttered. ‘And pray, sir, what is it that so imperatively calls you hence?’ “‘Bending over her with a careless grace that artfully concealed the slight bagginess at the knees of his pants, Plutarch said, in low, bitter tones that were terrible in their intensity: “‘I have broken my suspenders!’” H. C. Dodge, as a writer of humorous and witty verse, has few equals in America. His style is somewhat like that of the late lamented Tom Hood. One of Mr. Dodge’s productions is entitled CONTRARY MAN. Some men do write when they do wrong And some do live who dye; And some are short when they are long And stand when they do lie. A man is surly when he’s late, And round when he is square; He may die early and dilate, And may be foul when fair. He may be fast when he is slow, And loose when he is tight, And high when he is very low, And heavy when he’s light. He may be wet when he is dry, He may be great when small; May purchase when he won’t go by; Have naught when he has awl. He may be sick when he is swell, And hot when he is cold; He’s skilled so he on earth may dwell, And when he’s young he’s old. Transcriber's Notes: Italics are shown thus: _sloping_. Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained. Perceived typographical errors have been changed.