"Book-agent, hold on! Mr. Watson wants to see you."
"Watson? Watson wants to see me?" repeated the seemingly puzzled
book-agent. "Oh, I know what he wants: he wants to buy one of my books;
but I can't miss the train to sell it to him."
"If that is all he wants, I can pay for it and take it back to him. How
much is it?"
"Two dollars, for the 'Early Christian Martyrs,'" said the book-agent,
as he reached for the money and passed the book out of the car-window.
Just then Mr. Watson arrived, puffing and blowing, in his
shirt-sleeves. As he saw the train pull out he was too full for
utterance.
"Well, I got it for you," said Stevens,--"just got it, and that's all."
"Got what?" yelled Watson.
"Why, I got the book,--'Early Christian Martyrs,'--and paid--"
"By--the--great--guns!" moaned Watson, as he placed his hands to his
brow and swooned right in the middle of the street.
THE COQUETTE
_A Portrait_
BY JOHN G. SAXE
"You're clever at drawing, I own,"
Said my beautiful cousin Lisette,
As we sat by the window alone,
"But say, can you paint a Coquette?"
"She's painted already," quoth I;
"Nay, nay!" said the laughing Lisette,
"Now none of your joking,--but try
And paint me a thorough Coquette.
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