“Why, to see if there’s any corn under ’em!” he said; and immediately asked, “Why is Douglas like the earth?”
We tried, but couldn’t guess.
“Because he was flattened out at the polls!” said Mr. Riggles.
“A famous politician, formerly,” said the Superintendent. “His grandfather was a seize-Hessian-ist in the Revolutionary War. By the way, I hear the freeze-oil doctrines don’t go down at New Bedford.”
The next Inmate looked as if he might have been a sailor formerly.
“Ask him what his calling was,” said the Superintendent.
“Followed the sea,” he replied to the question put by one of us. “Went as mate in a fishing-schooner.”
“Why did you give it up?”
“Because I didn’t like working for two mast-ers,” he replied.
Presently we came upon a group of elderly persons, gathered about a venerable gentleman with flowing locks, who was propounding questions to a row of Inmates.