I happened to be in one of those happy Western towns during the heat of a campaign where they serve out cocktails and revolvers to all comers.
The governor was a candidate for re-election, and being a hustler, made many hot speeches from the hustings.
Some of the opposition had gathered in front of the hall, and with the idea of making him nervous, interrupted every little while just when he was waxing eloquent.
One very homely-looking man insisted on asking a question about every five minutes.
He usually prefaced them by such remarks as "Just a minute, please," or "Let me interrupt for a minute."
Finally, in an unhappy moment, he broke in with:
"Pardon me, but – "
Before he could finish, the governor, quickly seizing his long-awaited opportunity, replied:
"Well, I've pardoned worse looking fellows than you in my time, and I suppose it would be unjust to draw the line now."
You bet there were no more interruptions after that.
Some of you know Claude de Forrest, the actor.
He occasionally finds an engagement, but never twice with the same manager.
And yet Claude has his good points, and can do some stunts in his line.
Last winter he was playing at the same house where I had an engagement.
As the hero of the play he had just died a glorious stage death.
Loud and long the audience applauded.
At last he appeared before the curtain.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "as you insist on having a man who died a few minutes ago come to life and appear before you with a bow and a smile, I am here to comply with your wish.
"By way of destroying the illusion still further I will, with your permission, occupy the time while the stage is being made ready for the next act by reciting 'Hooligan at the Bat.'"
Which he proceeded to do.
And I fancy those misguided people soon wished they had not resurrected him so soon.
When you manage to run across an original man it pays to cultivate his acquaintance.
Hobbyhead has been a gold mine to me.
Whenever I have an attack of the blues I just hunt him up, and ten to one forget all my troubles.
A few more of his sort would make a stampede among the physicians out our way.
To tell the truth, every humorist knocks out a dozen doctors.
We were chatting the other day about things sacred and profane, when I chanced in the course of some remarks to mention that when Gabriel blew his horn on the final resurrection morn a good many persons would be surprised at the company they kept.
"Humph," grunted Hobbyhead, "don't you believe that our friend Gabriel will be the only trumpet sounder at the grand round-up."
"Why don't you think he won't?" I asked.
"Because every self-made man will insist on blowing his own horn."
While we were taking a walk through the country we met a farmer driving a fine bull in to market.
Both of us commented on the fact that it had a scrubby tail, and when Hobbyhead insisted on addressing the man I knew he had conceived a bright thought.
"I suppose, my friend, you'll have to sell that beast wholesale," he said.
The owner came from his reverie.
"What fer?"
"Well," assured my solemn friend, nodding his head toward the scrubby tuft of hair, and pursing his lips, "well, you see you cant have him re-tailed."
But occasionally Hobbyhead finds himself tripped up.
The pitcher may go to the well once too often.
I saw the deed done recently, and you ought to have been there to watch the humorist turn green with envy.
He was having some additions made to his country house, and had occasion to hire a tramp carpenter.
Somehow he was suspicious of the man's ability, and proceeded to put him through a course of sprouts.
"See here, my friend, do you know all about carpenter work?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," was the reply.
"You can make windows, doors and blinds?"
"Why, certain, sir."
"How would you make a Venetian blind?"
The man considered steadily for several minutes.
"I think," he remarked finally, with a grin, "that I would punch him in the eye."
He was engaged as soon as John recovered his breath.
Such sharp-edged tools are rare among journeymen carpenters, and I've suspected Hobbyhead meant to utilize the fellow in order to brighten his own wits.
Hobbyhead's smallest boy came home from the Barnum show the other evening.
It was his first outing of the sort, and he was bursting with the knowledge of the wonders he had seen.
His parental guardian, of course, questioned him regarding the stupendous aggregation, and soon discovered that among the many astonishing gymnasts little Jack had been especially attracted toward the wizard who ties himself up into a bunch of knots.
"I'm going to be a contortionist when I grow up," he proudly announced, "and right away to-morrow you'll see me start in trainin'."
"All right," said the interested parent; "it's a glorious career, my son, and to show you how much I appreciate your ambition I shall order half a bushel of green apples to be sent around. They'll give you a good start."
Hobbyhead claims that he gets many of his tidiest puns from this young hopeful.
For instance, when little Jack was studying his book one evening he called his father's attention to a fact which he was sturdily prepared to dispute.
"Say, pa, this book says nature never wastes anything."
"I guess that's right, my son," replied the father, thoughtlessly.
"Then what's the use of a cow having two horns when she can't even play on one," asked Jack, triumphantly.
Hobbyhead's genius failed him in the emergency.
When Hobbyhead was taking a holiday down at Long Branch, with his family, the price he had to pay rather congealed his blood.
Some of the descendants of Captain Kidd must have settled there and grown up with the country.
At any rate they bleed a man just as thoroughly as in the palmy days of Blackbeard and his corsair crew.
Hobbyhead had intended spending two weeks at the shore, but when he scanned his bill he found he would have just about money enough left to pay fares home.
And he considered there must have been some mistake about it to leave him even that.
While he was feeling sore and disgruntled, he chanced to fall into conversation with the proprietor.
This gentleman complained that the rats gave them considerable trouble, and that he would pay considerable to be rid of the gnawing rodents.
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