. St. Nicholas [serial] . f the banqueting hall is visible; and the gay 124 A CHRISTMAS DINNER WITH THE MAN IN THE MOON. [December, costumes of the guests, with the splendor of thetable-sendee and the abundance of the flowers,make it a brilliant spectacle. Sir Marmaduke places Mr. Howland on hisright, and his prime minister on his left; the threeboys occupy the seats next to Mr. Howland. The master of the feast holds in his hand aspeaking-trumpet, with which he can converse withhis guest upon the right; for it is only by the aidof this that he can make himself heard. The wires are not working
. St. Nicholas [serial] . f the banqueting hall is visible; and the gay 124 A CHRISTMAS DINNER WITH THE MAN IN THE MOON. [December, costumes of the guests, with the splendor of thetable-sendee and the abundance of the flowers,make it a brilliant spectacle. Sir Marmaduke places Mr. Howland on hisright, and his prime minister on his left; the threeboys occupy the seats next to Mr. Howland. The master of the feast holds in his hand aspeaking-trumpet, with which he can converse withhis guest upon the right; for it is only by the aidof this that he can make himself heard. The wires are not working very well; but, with strictattention, they catch the words of his speech: My lords and gentlemen: We are honored inhaving with us to-day one of the most distinguishedinhabitants of the earth. Allow me to present him,and the young gentlemen who are with him, andto bid him and them, in the name of you all, ahearty welcome to the moon. Here the whole company rise and give threetremendous cheers, which sound to the boys about. SIR MARMADUKE MAKES A SPEECH. waiters who come to serve the earth-folks also havespeaking-trumpets slung around their necks; butthey find little use for them, for the feast proceedswith great formality and in excellent order. One course after another is served. Mark hasnever seen in his dreams anything so tempting asthis bountiful feast. Presently the cloth is removed, and the Man inthe Moon rises to propose the health of the earth-folk. To each of the guests a monstrous ear-trumpet is handed, with a megaphone attached,and the boys, at a sign from Mr. Howland, drawback from the table, bring their chairs a littlenearer to Sir Marmaduke, and listen to what he issaying. His thin voice comes to them as from afar,a little like the sound of the telephone when the as loud as the buzz of half a dozen house-flies on awindow-pane. There could be no better day than this, SirMarmaduke goes on, for the promotion of peaceand good-will between the inhabitants of this planet
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasse, bookyear1873
