{{huckfp197.jpg}}

do it another time. Well, it would a made a cow laugh to see the shines that old

idiot cut. ssssssssss

Then the duke he lets the curtain down, and bows to the people, and says the

great tragedy will be performed only two nights more, on accounts of pressing

London engagements, where the seats" is all sold aready for it in Drury Lane;

and then he makes them another bow, and says if he has succeeded in pleasing

them and instructing them, he will be deeply obleeged if they will mention it to

their friends and get them to come and see it.

Twenty people sings out:

"What, is it over? Is that all?"

The duke says yes. Then there was a fine time. Everybody sings out "sold,"

and rose up mad, and was agoing for that stage and them tragedians. But a big

fine-looking man jumps up on a bench, and shouts:

"Hold on! Just a word, gentlemen." They stopped to listen. "We are

sold -- mighty badly sold. But we don't want to be the laughing-stock of this

whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live.

No. What we want, is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell

the rest of the town! Then we'll all be in the same boat. Ain't that sensible?"

("You bet it is! -- the jedge is right!" everybody sings out.) "All right, then

-- not a word about any sell. Go along home, and advise everybody to come and

see the tragedy." ssssssssss

Next day you couldn't hear nothing around that town but how splendid that

show was. House was jammed again, that night, and we sold this crowd the

same way. When me and the king and the duke got home to the raft, we all had

a supper; and by-and-by, about midnight, they made Jim and me back her out

and float her down the middle of the river and fetch her in and hide her about

two mile below town. ssssssssss

The third night the house was crammed again -- and they warn't new-comers,

this time, but people that was at the show the other two nights. I stood by

the duke at the door, and I see that every man that went in had his pockets

bulging, or something muffled up under his coat -- and I see it warn't no per-

fumery neither, not by a long sight. I smelt sickly eggs by the barrel, and

 [197]