He said: "My name's Sawyer.

You don't know me, but that don't matter.

I haven't got a cent, but if you knew how bad I wanted to laugh, you'd give me a ticket.

Come, now, what do you say ?" "Is your laugh hung on a hair-trigger ?--that is, is it critical, or can you get it off easy ?" My drawling infirmity of speech so affected him that he laughed a specimen or two that struck me as being about the article I wanted, and I gave him a ticket, and appointed him to sit in the second circle, in the centre, and be responsible for that division of the house.

I gave him minute instructions about how to detect indistinct jokes, and then went away, and left him chuckling placidly over the novelty of the idea.
I ate nothing on the last of the three eventful days--I only suffered.
I had advertised that on this third day the box-office would be opened for the sale of reserved seats.