make it out. Wall I yanked on that hook
'till I tho't I'd pull it out by the roots, but I
couldn't git the durned thing open, then I
turned on the knob two or three times, and
that didn't do any good, so I pulled on the
hook and turned on the knob at the same
time, and jist then I think all the fire bells
in New York commenced to ringin' all to
onct. Wall I looked round to see whar the
fire wuz, and a lot of fire ingines and hook
and ladder wagons cum a gallopin' up to
whar I stood, and they had a big sody water
bottle on wheels, and it busted and squirted
sody water all over me. Wall one of them
fire fellers, lookin' jist like I'd seen them in
picters in Ezra Hoskin's insurance papers,
he cum up to me madder'n a hornet, and he
sed "what are you tryin' to do with that
box?" So I told him I'd jist writ a letter
home, and I wuz a tryin' to mail it. He sed
"why you durned old green horn, you've
called out the hull fire department of New
York City." Wall I guess you could have
knocked me down with a feather. I sed--
wall you'r a purty healthy lookin' lot of
fellers, it won't hurt ye any to go back, will
it? Wall he sed, "thars your letter box over
on thother corner, now you let this box
alone." Wall they all drove away, and I
went over to the other box, but I didn't