The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-05-26
THE coMicAL MAN.
Rurt,ettr

1 Bufdette. met pleasant travelling aesiuaintanee on the way from Ssnclsiresiile tc Fredo- ma. He sad he went so hear me lec- tare last night. bu, he couldn't get a seat. so he only remained a few minutes He said ,o me: "l am comical man myselfs used to be right ,n the business all the time until loss my voice. Tonxiis give out, or something. Oh, yes. Why Pm on the road no~. travelling. and I'm known all over the country as the eomicAl man of the road. Everybody kno~s me. Stopped yesterday moEping where there was iot of ifishmen at work and began talking atth them. Broguc business. you know. Hope to dse II they didnt all stop to shake hands with me. Thought ] vas just over. you know. This IS the Way paralyfcd them, you know.'
 And then he save specimen of lrish dialect:
 a. in faith and he .ahhefs. boys. an sure an what arc ycs gein to do mis all oi do, mortar uads hr,ckbass says Ia them
 And ,ha, parslyiei the ltishmen ?" asked
 You he, i, did 1" replied the eomicai man oi the road.
 sad should ihink t would. he- liescd II would parabse almost any live man. In tsc, feli llt,le dumb my seli
 "oh yes he went on. but dialect singing used to be my strnngcS, hold.
 Here he cleared hts ,h.aai and the passengers began to leave the car. bmt without perpc,rting the threatened out rage, the comical man et the road went on:
 .' Now. the trouble with your comicai hasiness .s that Il s toa monotopoas. Now. see. you talk rskh, along an hour and hall don't you -
 meekiy admitted my gu.lt.
 Well. now" said the camical man of the road, you ought to rest once in awhile and have some fellow to come ou, and sing little, or do some of his dialect business Ina, would give some variety to your lecture. You can't do any dialect. can you s''
 sand aiser hearing himfi would be ashamed to try.
 "oh. we'll, |" the eotnissai nasa of the road sald, with any encouragement. you could pick |, up with lutle practice. Do you sing ~
 sad that ] knew several songs by sight. bu, that blindly and unselhshly refra,ned from s,ngiag them ,n public.
 Well. he sad, you ought lo bring . a Aon1 or t~o into your lecture. and i you could dance little II wouldn't hut, And nah, no~ m pa, you on to rai- ,llng good p,eee of bns,ness. saw a commercial traveller de Il down here al tslnklfk. He took a ha, and talked into il like d telephone answered him. you know telephone business yen,ri.o- qu,sm. Are you vcn,nloqaist [" l blashcd. and had .o admit. with an oveI~ helming and mof,ifying sense oi my deficiencies. that was not even seniriioquiss.
 Too bad" he said. Well, you ought io practice up on that. and bring tn sha, hnslness. Tha, would bring down the house better than anything in your lecture last night. could do Il myself 1 used to be one nf the best ventrilo. qu,s,s in the country until my sonsils collapsed. You know me. guess Why. you mus, have heard of me Ny name is Whitby. I'm called the ,omical man oi the road"
 Good Heavens [" exclaimed risIng
  th,s Whitby ~
 ies," he said. "i'm Nhl,by. I'm known AS the oomlsal man uf the road. 1 thought you'd know sfe What ,s your name -
 meekiy covered down into my cor ncs of the scat. and icaffiily admitted that my name only " bufdette." in nonpareii. with d little b."
 Busdcite,' he sad. .' where arc you from =
 l ssid, broadly, " Burlington" in great bg letters.
 Burlington ,' the eomieal man of the road replied. -Oh, yes; down here in Vermont. Well, get of here. Don't forget that ,elephsne ha, business and you can make that lecture of yours go" And the comical man of the road l" was gone. may forget the telephone hat business, but l will never forge, whi,by. the eomieal man of the road"