Love Conquers All eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 209 pages of information about Love Conquers All.

Love Conquers All eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 209 pages of information about Love Conquers All.

1.  Grand parade around the ring, headed by a brass-band and the mayor in matador’s costume.  Invitations to march in this parade will be issued to every one in the bull-fighting set with the exception of the bull, who will be ignored.  This will make him pretty sore to start with.

2.  After the marchers have been seated, the bull will be led into the ring.  An organized cheering section among the spectators will immediately start jeering him, whistling, and calling “Take off those horns, we know you!”

3.  The picadors will now enter, bearing pikes with ticklers on the ends.  These will be brushed across the bull’s nose as the picadors rush past him on noisy motor-cycles.  The noise of the motor-cycles is counted on to irritate the bull quite as much as the ticklers, as he will probably be trying to sleep at the time.

4.  Enter the bandilleros, carrying various ornate articles of girls’ clothing (daisy-hat with blue ribbons, pink sash, lace jabot, etc.) which will, one by one, be hung on the bull when he isn’t looking.  In order to accomplish this, one of the bandilleros will engage the animal in conversation while another sneaks up behind him with the frippery.  When he is quite trimmed, the bandilleros will withdraw to behind a shelter and call him:  “Lizzie!”

5.  By this time, the bull will be almost crying he will be so sore.  This is the moment for the entrance of the intrepid matador.  The matador will wear an outing cap with a cutaway and Jaeger vest, and the animal will become so infuriated by this inexcusable mesalliance of garments that he will charge madly at his antagonist.  The matador, who will be equipped with boxing-gloves, will feint with his left and pull the daisy-hat down over the bull’s eyes with his right, immediately afterward stepping quickly to one side.  The bull, blinded by the daisies, will not know where to go next and soon will laughingly admit that the joke has been on him.  He will then allow the matador to jump on his back and ride around the ring, making good-natured attempts to unseat his rider.

X

WHAT TO DO WHILE THE FAMILY IS AWAY

Somewhere or other the legend has sprung up that, as soon as the family goes away for the summer, Daddy brushes the hair over his bald spot, ties up his shoes, and goes out on a whirlwind trip through the hellish districts of town.  The funny papers are responsible for this, just as they are responsible for the idea that all millionaires are fat and that Negroes are inordinately fond of watermelons.

I will not deny that for just about four minutes after the train has left, bearing Mother, Sister, Junior, Ingabog and the mechanical walrus on their way to Anybunkport, Daddy is suffused with a certain queer feeling of being eleven years old and down-town alone for the first time with fifteen cents to spend on anything he wants.  The city seems to spread itself out before him just ablaze with lights and his feet rise lightly from the ground as if attached to toy balloons.  I do not deny that his first move is to straighten his tie.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
Love Conquers All from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.