I had received a note from Mr.Augustin Daly of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, asking me to call the next time I should be in New York.

I was writing plays, in those days, and he was admiring them and trying to get me a chance to get them played in Siberia.

I took the first train--the early one--the one that leaves Hartford at 8.29 in the morning.

At New Haven I bought a paper, and found it filled with glaring display-lines about a "bench-show" there.

I had often heard of bench-shows, but had never felt any interest in them, because I supposed they were lectures that were not well attended.