Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-03-23
HE DIDN'T MAKE A SCENE.
How Homer Davenport Got the Free
dom of m Partisan Theater.

n
Mr.. Homer Davenport, the cartoon
list when In Paris recently, met with
several cases of attempted extortion
He is extremely generous, as all his
friends know, but the attempts to ex-
tort angered him.
"And So" he says, II got Into the
! way of asking the clerk Of the hotel to
make out list for me when / was 60
ing out, showing just what should
pay for everything for the trip, and 1t
worked like a charm. Well, one even
ing Mrs. Davenport and were going
to a theater and handed the clerk a
card and asked him to write my ex-
penses on 1t.
"Well, that day man whom l had
been trying to meet for years had call
ed at the hotel to see me. l was out,
and so he left a card for me. 1t was
the card Of one Of the attaches Of the
American legation, and written across
It were the words, Introducing Mr.. X
when the hotel clerk handed the
card back to me, with his memoran-
dums-cab fare so much, two seats so
much, and all that saw it was the at
tache's card introducing Mr. Y. l was
sorry, but 1t was too late to help it.
"Well, off we drove to the theater. 1
paid the cabman as per card. He made
as II he wanted four times as much,
but there was the clerks word for It..
Then we went into the theater, and |
showed the card at them through hole
in the wall and said, L want two Of
those seats They looked as If they
didn't understand me-there were three
Of them-although said 1t in my very
best American. Then they all sort Of
bowed, and one Of them slid out through
a door, taking the card with him.
1--WE waited long while and heard
the music banging away and knew we
were losing the performance by the
mile. In about Is minutes it came to
me that perhaps they thought was
Mr.. ", introduced by the attache. |
poked my face up to the hole in the
wall. Say said, I'm not Mr.. X. |
Just want two of those tickets, and
want to pay for them
"Well, they bowed and grinned, but
didn't do anything, and In few min
utes the other fellow-a big. fat chap he
was-came busting along the vestlbule
and grinned and bowed up to me and
motioned me to follow him inside.
Now, see here l said. If you think
I'm Mr.. X
"'Homer,' said Mrs. Davenport, If
he insists don't let's make a scene out
here
"Well. that man bowed US into big
gold plated box and turned out half a
dozen people to make way for us. And
1t made me mad that he wouldn't un-
derstand. Now, you see here l said.
I'm not Mr. y. l just want two Of
those seats out over there. and want
to pay for them too. Understand?
'The audience soon began to notice
that something was up, and people
stood and craned their necks, and Mrs
Davenport said: Homer. II he insists
just let's keep the box. We're missing
the show
"Well, we staid there, and every lit
tie while In popped some funny chap
that couldn't speak American with
some kind Of refreshments. And my
trying to explain didn't do any good
And Mrs. Davenport would say. ITO.
mer, If they insist, just let's take it
quietly And we did.
when the show was all over: the fat
fellow, bowling and grinnInC. ushered
us out and found n cab for US. and OF
we went. I'm not Dir. x were my
last words. but he just bowed more
than ever, And Mrs. Davenport said,
Homer, don't let's make n scene
"Well, next day hunted up that at
tache. l told him all that had happen
ed and said, Now, just want you to
give me handful of your cards, for
I'm going to be here for some days,
and they'll be mighty useful. and will
they work as we'll In other parts Of
Europe tooY
"Well, he Just howled. Why he
said. i sent in my card there the day
before yesterday and asked for pass,
and they turned me down. saturday
Evening Post.