Apotheosis of Honest Labor.—Gorgeous Ceremonies.—Beautiful Unanimity of the Mutually Inimical Fleas Around the Throne.—End of Bamboozle No. 1.—An Awful Find.—King Honest Labor Dead; Which Shows That Plenty to Eat Is Better Than to Be a Sham King.
A wonderful thing now happened. Exactly how it happened was a secret known only to the Bamboozling Committee and some of their intimates; but just as the delirium of the dogs’ joy was at its height, the whole assembly of the fleas arose as by one simultaneous impulse and cried: “Long live Honest Labor, son of Lowly Toil! He shall be our King. Bring forth the Royal Diadem and crown him Lord of all.”
And suddenly, beneath the great Flag of the Free, a great and gorgeous throne was set; and the Bamboozling Committee, gathering around and making genuflexion to poor Honest Labor—whose head by this time had grown to an enormous size—led him with every sign of homage and adoration, and amid the delighted admiration of the dogs, to the throne, and set him therein. And when he was set, a lot of the wealthy, eminent and Monstrous Fleas, headed by Grandadhat and Dephool Flea, ranged themselves up as a bodyguard of worshippers on either side of him; and another lot, headed by Bunkum Mak Tinley, fell at his feet as Homage Renderers. And Grandadhat, making a sign to the vast multitude of dogs, ostentatiously kissed him on the nose and on the right ear; and Dephool Flea, making another sign to the multitude, ostentatiously kissed him on the nose and on the left ear; and Mak Tinley, on behalf of the Homage Renderers generally, and on his own behalf particularly, kissed him on the feet; and all three, turning dramatically to the dogs, cried: “Behold our King!”
And all the assembled fleas cried out in chorus: “God save the King!”
Then cried aloud Dephool Flea: “The Royal Diadem, the Royal Diadem! Bring it forth, and crown him Lord of all.”
Then there stepped forth a very large flea, Grover Ponderous Flea by name, bearing a gorgeous looking regalia—a robe, a sceptre and a crown of very large diameter—followed by two small satellite fleas, named, the one Rosy Pretty Flower, the other Pennzy Pattyson, bearing between them a ponderous bowl filled to the brim with some golden liquid, around which flies buzzed. Whereupon all the dogs gave a great howl of delight, for they seemed to know them.
“Hurrah!” they cried, “for Grover Ponderous Flea, the new Nighunto; the tried and trusty friend and worshipper of Honest Labor. Hurrah! Hurrah!! Hurrah!!!”