TAMMAS eyed him with one of his keen
glances. Then he worked his mouth round and round to clear the course
for a sarcasm.
"So you're the puir crittur," said the stone-breaker, "'at's meanin'
to be a humorist."
This was the challenge. We all knew what it meant, and fixed our eyes
on the stranger.
"Certainly," was his answer; "that is exactly my meaning. I trust I
make myself plain, I'm willing to meet any man at catch-weights.
Now here, he continued," are some of my samples. This story about a
house-boat, for instance, has been much appreciated. It's almost
in the style of Mr. JEROME'S masterpiece; or this screamer about my
wife's tobacco-pipe and the smoking mixture. "Observe," he went on,
holding the sample near to his mouth, "I can expand it to any extent.
Puff, puff! Ah! it has burst. No matter, these accidents sometimes
happen to the best regulated humorists. Now, just look at these," he
produced half-a-dozen packets rapidly from his bundle. "Here we have
a packet of sarcasm--equal to dynamite. I left it on the steps of
the Savile Club, but it missed fire somehow.
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