ficials requested
him to remain that night and deliver a lecture. He declined to do so,
because his wardrobe had been shipped on ahead to Vicksburg, and he had
nothing to wear but a suit of heavy underclothing and the rubber dress.

"That'll be all right," said the mayor, "we'll fix you up in a dress
suit and attend to all the details. We'll get out bills, hire the
hall, get a band and just fix you up as snug as a bug in a rug. Don't
you let anything worry you; but just stay here and rest up while we
make the arrangements."

The people had been so kind that Boyton could not resist their desires
and consented. That evening the mayor drove up to the hotel and entered
Paul's room with a swallow tail coat, white vest and tie, and a collar
that was fastened around his neck without the assistance of shirt
buttons. The upper half of him looked all right and quite appropriate
for presentation to the public. They waited for the gentleman whose
pantaloons just fitted Paul, but he did not appear.

"All right," said the mayor again, "I reckon he's gone to the hall with
them and there's a dressing room there. Come on now, just hop into my
carriage and we'll drive there. No one will see you."

They reached the hall and waited in the dressing room for the other
gentleman to get there with the pantaloons. It was growing late and
the people who crowded the hall began to get impatient.

"That's all right," once more exclaimed the ever ready mayor, "we can
fix that."

He shoved a stand to the middle of the stage and taking a large table
cover; arranged it so that it hung to the floor in front, thus hiding
everything behind it from the eyes of the crowd. On the stand were
placed the rubber dress, the Baby Mine, a pitcher of water and a glass.
Then Boyton stood behind it and from the front he looked as though
attired in an irreproachable dress suit. The curtain was rung up
discovering him standing in the shelter of the table, the mayor on one
side, ready to introduce him. In that position Paul acknowledged the
introduction and proceeded to describe the rubber dress, his 'mode of
navigating in it and an account of his voyages. In recounting his
adventure with a shark in the straits of Messina, he became somewhat
excited and without thinking, stepped from behind the protecting folds
of the table cloth in all the glory of a dress coat, white vest and
violently red drawers.

There was a stare of wonder,