on--you
understand."

The senator took one hand from his pocket.

"How be you?" he said. Mr. Bixby was once more pulling down on his
shoulder.

"H-haow was it here?" he demanded.

"Almighty funny," answered Senator Hartington, sadly, and waved at the
lobby. "There wahn't standin' room in the place."

"Jethro Bass Republican Club come and packed the entrance," explained
Mr. Bixby with a wink. "You understand, Will? Go on, Peleg."

"Sidewalk and street, too," continued Mr. Hartington, slowly. "First
come along Ball of Towles, hollerin' like blazes. They crumpled him all
up and lost him. Next come old man Duncan himself."

"Will kep' Duncan," Mr. Bixby interjected.

"That was wholly an accident," exclaimed Mr. Wetherell, angrily.

"Will wahn't born in the country," said Mr. Bixby.

Mr. Hartington bestowed on the storekeeper a mournful look, and
continued:--

"Never seed Duncan sweatin' before. He didn't seem to grasp why the boys
was there."

"Didn't seem to understand," put in Mr. Bixby, sympathetically.

"'For God's sake, gentlemen,' says he, 'let me in! The Truro Bill!' 'The
Truro Bill hain't in the theatre, Mr. Duncan,' says Dan Everett.
Cussed if I didn't come near laughin'. 'That's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Mr.
Duncan,' says Dan. 'You're a dam fool,' says Duncan. I didn't know he
was profane. 'Make room for Mr. Duncan,' says Dan, 'he wants to see the
show.' 'I'm a-goin' to see you in jail for this, Everett,' says Duncan.
They let him push in about half a rod, and they swallowed him. He
was makin' such a noise that they had to close the doors of the
theatre--so's not to disturb the play-actors."

"You understand," said Mr. Bixby to Wetherell. Whereupon he gave another
shake to Mr. Hartington, who had relapsed into a sort of funereal
meditation.

"Well," resumed that personage, "there was some more come, hollerin'
about the Truro Bill. Not many. Guess they'll all have to git their
wimmen-folks to press their clothes to-morrow. Then Duncan wanted to
git out again, but 'twan't exactly convenient. Callated he was
suffocatin'--seemed to need air. Little mite limp when he broke loose,
Duncan was."

The Honorable Peleg stopped again, as if he were overcome by the
recollection of Mr. Duncan's plight.

"Er--er--Peleg!"

Mr. Hartington started.

"What'd they do?--what'd they do?"

"Do?"

"How'd they git notice to 'em?"

"Oh," said Mr. Hartington, "cussed if that wuhn't funny. Let's see,
where was I? A