Mrs.
Blake-Alverson. After I had acknowledged their compliment by my bowed
head, one of the doctors handed me a glass, and I responded. I said,
"We will now drink to our doctors of Oakland." After they were seated,
one of the oldest of the doctors asked me how I accounted for the fact
that I retained at the age of seventy-one the voice of a woman of
twenty-five. After my satisfactory answers to a number of important
questions, they informed me that I had done this evening for their
entertainment and great pleasure an act that had never been known in
medical history before. Those present voiced the remarks with hearty
appreciation and continued applause.

The third surprise of the evening took place after the doctors had
left the table and adjourned to the large hall and drawing room. When
they had all assembled, the lights were turned on and before them
stood in a row like statues their wives, ready to be received, with a
smile on their faces, the only visible indication of life in them.
They reminded me of Mrs. Jarley's wax figures, standing in a perfect
line while the demonstrator illustrates their beauty and natural
abilities as "first-class wax figgers." It was too bad the camera
missed the expression on the faces of those fourteen men, dressed in
full evening attire, and staring at the faces of their wives, it
seemed to me, for ten minutes or more. At last one of them broke the
spell by quickly stepping over to his wife and calling her by name. He
kissed her and said, "I am delighted to see you." The others followed
suit. The next half hour was spent in telling how they managed to keep
the secret, and to so arrange matters that in the future the ladies
would be included in the select gatherings of the medicos. The next
hour was spent in listening to some clever speeches and interesting
papers, which were very amusing and teemed with jokes and sharp hits
of sarcasm. At the close of the reading I was once more called upon to
repeat some of the songs that I had sung for them. We all gathered in
a spacious music room where for an hour I sang for them their favorite
selections, closing with "Home, Sweet Home," in which all who could
joined in the chorus. Thus ended one of the most delightful evenings
spent in the hospitable home of Dr. and Mrs. Shannon.

The members of the club who were present were: Drs. E.M. Keys, A.H.
Pratt, M. Lewis Emerson, A. Liliencrantz, J.M. Shannon, Samuel H.
Buteau, J.W. Robertson, E.J. Bo