The daily sentinel., 1907-01-28

over. one moment convulsed with sup
pressed mirth, the next emitting ter.
rifle explosions of laughter
The most remarkable part of the
whole thing was, gentlemen, that not
a soul in the audience appeared TO feel
the contagion of his merriment Their
curiosity was not even aroused enough
to cause one OF them to turn round
and look at the fellow who was acting
so uproarlously.
i rambled on with my idiotic story
of the three-legged camel, the blind
sheik, the hair-lIpped dragoman and
the lost gourd until my friend at the
back of the room could laugh no
longer. Thoroughly exhausted he
picked himself from the floor and,
painting and shobblng he called out to
me:
oh. cheese it, boss. for Gods sake,
cheese IT, II you don't quit shall
die. Come out and have a drink
I'm with you. sir | answered
Come up here. or meet me at the
back door
i thank you, ladies and gentle
men said. addressing the rest of my
audience, for your presence this eve.
ming and for the enthusiastic recep-
tion you have given me. wish you
a very good evening. and l hope may
never set eyes on any of your faces
again so long as l live
That set my friend of into hyster-
les again; but by the time l had put
on my hat and coat and got down
stairs l found him there waiting for
me.
Come on, come on. he said, I
can't say word till I've drunk pint
of beer
He led the way into a private room
in saloon of the better sort, ordered
drinks and cigars, and then fell off
his chair in an ecstasy of uncontrolla-
BILE mirth. At last. when he had re-
covered and drank off a big shouper
of beer, he turned to me and asked:
who in blazes did you think you
were talking to tonight?
I was talking to 500 of the most
insensate blockheads that ever were
gathered together under one roof on
the continent of North America re-
piled.
Yes, but what body was it that
you were addressing?'
Il was addressing the members OF
the Literary and Historical assocla-
tion of Doleville,' was my reply.
All, ah, ah! oh. Lord! But it was
funnyl 1t was too funny for anything.
Who took you into that hall?'
" I described to him the young man
who had met me at the station and
driven me TO the place.
Yes, yes-couldn't have been any
body else. know him. 1T was Char
lie Swift, the greatest practical joker
in Doleville. He must have got some
body to take the other fellow to the
other hall. Funniest thing | ever saw
in my life
What was it that was so awfully
funny?' l asked My entertainment? p
" Yes, sir-exactly; your entertain.
ment! Your standing up in that hall
for an hour and half. telling funny
stories to the state convention of deaf |
mutes!
Deaf mutes,' repeated-deaf |
mutesl DO you mean to tell me. sir. !
that my audience was composed of
deaf mutes?'
Every man and woman in the |
whole bunch. except myself my |
friend replied. You see.' he contin-
ued you were billed to appear at the |
Odd Fellows hall, and instead OF that
you went to the Handel hall was
at the other place. where thousand |
"A man came on the platform and |
began opening and closing his mouth
without saying n word-without utter.
ing sound of any kind. At first the
people ared. They thought It was
some odd whim of humor that had got
hold Of you. But after about ten min.
utes of It some of them began to pro-
test.
Here. quit that mummery and tell
us something funnyi' one man called
out.
But still the man on the platform
went on-moving his lips and not
making a sound.
Stop your mouthing and talk Eng
lishl 'Fake! 'Humbug,' Give us our
money backl
Finally about n score of the hot.
test-headed fellows made rush for
the platform. The lecturer saw they
meant business and bolted. He got
away through back door and is
probably out of town by now.
He was the fellow that was to
have given an address to your audi
enee in the new lip language that is
expected to supersede the old system
of manual signs with deaf mutes. I
thought l would come around to the
Handel hall and see what was going
on. thought there might be some
fun. But I never dreamed of finding
you reciting Twinkle. twinkle. little
star" to 500 deaf mutes"
In Eagle Eye.
Your citizens don't object to big
automobiles passing through This set