Humorous stories; Newspapers -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
"I walked up as far towards the front as I could an' then I sat down. I
can't say as I was very comfortable nor much impressed an' the folks
further back was very restless an' kept sayin' they could n't hear what
was goin' on on the platform. There was a lady on the platform hammerin'
a table for dear life an' to my order of thinkin' anybody must have been
deaf as could n't have heard her hammerin', but she looked happy an'
that was maybe the main thing, for a woman behind me whispered as the
spirit of her with the hammer just filled the room. Well, I stood it as
long as I could an' then I got up an' remarked frank an' open as if
every one would keep still every one could easy hear. They all clapped
at that, but the lady with the hammer could n't seem to even hear me an'
hammered worse than ever all the while they was clappin'.
"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, to make a long story short it was n't very
interestin'--I will even in confidence remark as I found it pretty dull.
I read all my seven programs an' made out as the first day was give to
greetin' an' the next to meetin'. The next was on trees an' the one
after that they was all goin' to drive. An' so on, an' so on. Then I
smelt my rose some, an' a thorn stuck into my nose some an' the
hammerin' made me very tired an' finally a woman come in an' said I had
her seat so I give it to her with a glad heart an' come out, an' I never
was happier to do anythin' in my whole life before. But I was hardly out
when a lady as I had n't seen yet see my little flag an' pounced on me
an' said was I Miss Clegg? an' I did n't see nothin' to be gained by
sayin' I was n't so I said Yes, I was.
"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, that was pretty near to bein' the beginnin' of my
end. That woman hustled me into a carriage, give my valise to the driver
an' told him to be quick. I was too dumb did up by her actions to be
able to think of anythin' to say so I just sit still, an' she pinned a
purple ribbon onto me an' told me she'd read two of my books an' died
laughin' only to look at me. I was more than afraid as she was crazy but
she talked so fast I could n't even see a chance to open my mouth so I
did n't try.
"She said when they was gettin' ready for the convention an' dividin' up
celebrities among themselves that she just took me right off. She said
as she was goin' to give a lunch for me an' a dinner for me an' I don't
know what all. She was still talkin' when the carriage stopped at a
hotel.
"She said I must n't mind a hotel much 'cause her husband minded company
more, an' I did n't see any sort of meanin' to her remark, but David in
the lions' den was a roarin' lion himself compared to me that minute, so
I just walked behind her an' she took me in an' up in a elevator an'
into a room with a bathroom an' a bouquet an' there she told me to give
her the key of the valise an' she'd unpack while I was in the bath tub.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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