Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

The Pursuit of the House-Boat by John Kendrick Bangs
page 40 of 127 (31%)
considered.


"Well, I declare!" tittered Elizabeth, as she read. "Isn't that
extraordinary? He's got the three-name craze, too!"

"It's perfectly ridiculous," said Cleopatra. "But it's fairer than
Artemus Ward's plan. Mozart gives notice of his intentions to charge
you; but with Ward it's different. He comes, and afterwards sends a
bill for his fun. Why, only last week I got a 'quarterly statement'
from him showing a charge against me of thirty-eight dollars for
humorous remarks made to my guests at a little chafing-dish party I
gave in honor of Balzac, and, worst of all, he had marked it 'Please
remit.' Even Antony, when he wrote a sonnet to my eyebrow, wouldn't
let me have it until he had heard whether or not Boswell wanted it
for publication in the Gossip. With Rubens giving chalk-talks for
pay, Phidias doing 'Five-minute Masterpieces in Putty' for suburban
lyceums, and all the illustrious in other lines turning their genius
to account through the entertainment bureaus, it's impossible to have
a salon now."

"You are indeed right," said Madame Recamier, sadly. "Those were
palmy days when genius was satisfied with chicken salad and lemonade.
I shall never forget those nights when the wit and wisdom of all time
were--ah--were on tap at my house, if I may so speak, at a cost to me
of lights and supper. Now the only people who will come for nothing
are those we used to think of paying to stay away. Boswell is always
ready, but you can't run a salon on Boswell."

"Well," said Portia, "I sincerely hope that you won't give up the
DigitalOcean Referral Badge