He looked all round the room and up and down as if in hopes he could see
someone layin' round on the floor, or danglin' from the ceilin', that would
take the responsibility offen him, and in the very nick of time the door
opened after a quick rap, and the President jumped up with a relieved look
on his linement, and sez:

"Here is the very man to do the errents." And he hastened to introduce me
to the Senator who entered. And then he bid me a hasty adoo, but cordial
and polite, and withdrew himself.




V

"HE WUZ DRETFUL POLITE"


I felt glad to have this Senator do Serepta's errents, but I didn't like
his looks. My land! talk about Serepta Pester bein' disagreeable, he wuz as
disagreeable as she any day. He wuz kinder tall and looked out of his eyes
and wore a vest. He wuz some bald-headed, and wore a large smile all the
while, it looked like a boughten one that didn't fit him, but I won't say
it wuz. I presoom he'll be known by this description. But his baldness
didn't look to me like Josiah Allen's baldness, and he didn't have the
noble linement of the President, no indeed. He wuz dretful polite, good
land! politeness is no name for it, but I don't like to see anybody too
good. He drawed a chair up for me and himself and asked me: