Out of the Hurly-Burly; Or, Life in an Odd Corner Read online

  OUTOF THEHURLY-BURLY

  OR

  LIFE IN AN ODDCORNER

  MAX ADELER.]

  OUT OF THE HURLY-BURLY

  Or

  Life in an Odd Corner

  by

  MAX ADELER

  With Nearly Four Hundred Illustrations byArthur B. Frost, Fred. B. Schell, and Others

  PhiladelphiaDavid Mckay, Publisher1022 Market Street

  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, byCharles Heber Clark,In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

  DEDICATION.

  I have resolved to dedicate this book to a humorist who has had toolittle fame, to the most delicious, because the most unconscious,humorist, to that widely-scattered and multitudinous comedian who may beexpressed in the concrete as

  THE INTELLIGENT COMPOSITOR.

  To his habit of perpetrating felicitous absurdities I am indebted for"laughter that is worth a hundred groans." It was he who put into typean article of mine which contained the remark, "Filtration is sometimesaccomplished with the assistance of albumen," and transformed it into"Flirtation is sometimes accomplished with the resistance of aldermen."It was he who caused me to misquote the poet's inquiry, so that Ipropounded to the world the appalling conundrum, "Where are the dead,the _varnished_ dead?" And it was his glorious tendency to make thesublime convulsively ridiculous that rejected the line in a poem ofmine, which declared that a "comet swept o'er the heavens with itstrailing skirt," and substituted the idea that a "count slept in thehaymow in a traveling shirt." The kind of talent that is here displayeddeserves profound reverence. It is wonderful and awful; and thus I offerit a token of my marveling respect.

  "Fun is the most conservative element of society, and it ought to becherished and encouraged by all lawful means. People never plot mischiefwhen they are merry. Laughter is an enemy to malice, a foe to scandaland a friend to every virtue. It promotes good temper, enlivens theheart and brightens the intellect."

  PREFACE.

  It seems to be necessary to say a few words in reference to the contentsof this volume as I offer it to the public. Several of the incidentsrelated in the story have already appeared in print, and have beencopied in various newspapers throughout the country. Sometimes they havebeen attributed to the author; but more frequently they have been giveneither without any name attached to them, or they have been credited topersons who probably never saw them. The best of the anecdotes have beenimitated, but none of them, I believe, are imitations. I make thisstatement, so that if the reader should happen to encounter anythingthat has a familiar appearance, he may understand that he has theoriginal and not a copy before him. But a very large portion of thematter contained in the book is entirely new, and is now published forthe first time; while all the rest of it has been rewritten andimproved, so that it is as good as new.

  If this little venture shall achieve popularity, I must attribute thefact largely to the admirable pictures with which it has been adorned bythe artists whose names appear upon the title page. All of thesegentlemen have my hearty thanks for the efforts they have made toaccomplish the best results; but while I express my appreciation of thebeautiful landscapes of Mr. Schell, the admirable drawings of Mr.Sheppard and the excellent designs of Mr. Bensell, I wish to directattention especially to the humorous pictures of Mr. Arthur B. Frost.This artist makes his first appearance before the public in these pages.These are the only drawings upon wood that he has ever executed, andthey are so nicely illustrative of the text, they display so muchoriginality and versatility, and they have such genial humor, with solittle extravagance and exaggeration, that they seem to me surely togive promise of a prosperous career for the artist.

  It is customary upon these occasions to say something of an apologeticnature for the purpose of inducing the public to believe that the authorregards with humility the work of which he is really exceedinglyproud--something that will tend to soften the blows which are expectedfrom ferocious and cruel critics. But I believe I have nothing of thiskind to offer. If I thought the book required an apology, I would notpublish it. Any reviewer who does not like it is at liberty to say so;and I am the more ready to accord him this permission because I amimpressed with the conviction that he will hit as hard as he wants towhether I give him leave or withhold it. All I ask is that the volumeshall have fair play. If it is successful as an attempt to construct abook of humor which will contribute to innocent popular amusementwithout violating the laws that govern the construction and orthographyof the English language, and as an effort to give pleasure to sensiblegrown people without offering entertainment to children and idiots, itdeserves commendation. If it is a failure in these respects, then itought to be suppressed, for it certainly has no mighty moral purpose,and it is not designed to reform anything on earth but the personalfortunes of the author.