But his fun died away into a feeling of surprise when he saw that his shoeless foot was not even attracting attention.
He stooped down and pulled off the other shoe, and his surprise developed into amazement when he saw that the combined attack produced no result.

Belton's room-mate seemed absorbed in reading.
The Mississippian next pulled off his coat and pretending to yawn and stretch, lifted his arms just so that the junction of his arm with his shoulder was on a direct line with his visitor's nose.
Belton's room-mate made a slight grimace, but kept on reading.

The Mississippian was dumbfounded.
He then signified his intention of retiring to bed and undressed, eyeing his visitor all the while, hoping that the scent of his whole body would succeed.
He got into bed and was soon snoring loudly enough to be heard two or three rooms away; but Belton's room-mate seemed to pay no attention to the snoring.
The Mississippian gave up the battle in disgust, saying to himself: "That fellow regards scents and noises just as though he was a buzzard, hatched in a cleft of the roaring Niagara Falls." So saying, he fell asleep in reality and the snoring increased in volume and speed.
Belton's room-mate now took a pair of large new socks out of his pocket and put them into the Mississippian's shoes, from which he took the dirty socks already there.

Having these dirty socks, he quietly tips out of the room and returns to his and Belton's room.
Belton desired to make the speech of his life the next day, and had retired to rest early so as to be in prime nervous condition for the effort.

His room-mate stole to the wardrobe and stealthily extracted the silk handkerchief and put these dirty socks in its stead.