“Ladies and Gentlemen: I am happy—”
“Happy—you?” queried the audience in gales of laughter.
“I didn’t mean to say I was happy. I started to say I am happy to inform you that in wine countries I come from fermented poor wines, elsewhere from malt or apple cider.”
With that he sat down.
“Here! Here! Is that all you have to tell us?” cried Cinnamon Stick.
“All! It is much more than Molasses had to say.”
“You have talked for twenty seconds. Molasses entertained us for many minutes!”
“Yes, Mr. Chairman, but if you simmer down what Molasses told you of her history, it will take three seconds by the clock to say it. It was this: ‘I am the juice from the sugar cane boiled down and gurgled into a barrel!’”
Vinegar tried so hard to imitate Molasses, even to the sweet expression, he sat down amid roars of laughter.
Molasses now hopped up in the greatest haste, crying: