"Look a here," sez I to a chap that I cum across in one of the entryways as I was a trying to circumnavigate down stairs, "you don't know where abouts Miss Elssler lives, now du you?"
"Yes," sez he, a stopping short, "she has the large parlor in front, jest over the great entrance on the second floor."
"What! she don't live here in the Astor House, does she?" sez I,
"Sartinly," sez he.
"You don't say so," sez I.
"Yes I do say so," sez he, a larfin.
"Wal, now I cum to think on it I guess you du," sez I; "but I say now, you hadn't jest as livs as not go and show me the door, had you?"
"Oh, I haint no particular objections," sez he, and with that he begun twistifying down stairs and around and across, and I arter him like the tail to a kite, till by-am-by he hauled up close to a room door, and arter saying, "this is the room," and giving a bow, cut off before I'd time to ask him how his marm was.
Your affectionate son,
Jonathan Slick.