Main Street (Barnes & Noble Classics Ser - Sinclair Lewis [43]
“What’s the name of that Balzac yarn. Where can I get hold of it?” giggled the traveling salesman.
Raymie ignored him. “But the movies, they are mostly clean, and their humor——Don’t you think that the most essential quality for a person to have is a sense of humor?”
“I don’t know. I really haven’t much,” said Carol.
He shook his finger at her. “Now, now, you’re too modest. I’m sure we can all see that you have a perfectly corking sense of humor. Besides, Dr. Kennicott wouldn’t marry a lady that didn’t have. We all know how he loves his fun!”
“You bet. I’m a jokey old bird. Come on, Carrie; let’s beat it,” remarked Kennicott.
Raymie implored, “And what is your chief artistic interest, Mrs. Kennicott?”
“Oh———” Aware that the traveling salesman had murmured, “Dentistry,” she desperately hazarded, “Architecture.”
“That’s a real nice art. I’ve always said—when Haydock & Simons were finishing the new front on the Bon Ton building, the old man came to me, you know, Harry’s father, ‘D. H.,’ I always call him, and he asked me how I liked it, and I said to him, ‘Look here, D. H.,’ I said—you see, he was going to leave the front plain, and I said to him, ‘It’s all very well to have modern lighting and a big display-space,’ I said, ‘but when you get that in, you want to have some architecture, too,’ I said, and he laughed and said he guessed maybe I was right, and so he had ’em put on a cornice.”
“Tin!” observed the traveling salesman.
Raymie bared his teeth like a belligerent mouse. “Well, what if it is tin? That’s not my fault. I told D. H. to make it polished granite. You make me tired!”
“Leave us go! Come on, Carrie, leave us go!” from Kennicott. Raymie waylaid them in the hall and secretly informed Carol that she mustn’t mind the traveling salesman’s coarseness—he belonged to the hwa pollwa.ah
Kennicott chuckled. “Well, child, how about it? Do you prefer an artistic guy like Raymie to stupid boobs like Sam Clark and me?”
“My dear! Let’s go home, and play pinochle, and laugh, and be foolish, and slip up to bed, and sleep without dreaming. It’s beautiful to be just a solid citizeness!”
III
From the Gopher Prairie Weekly Dauntless:
One of the most charming affairs of the season was held Tuesday evening at the handsome new residence of Sam and Mrs. Clark, when many of our most prominent citizens gathered to greet the lovely new bride of our popular local physician, Dr. Will Kennicott. All present spoke of the many charms of the bride, formerly Miss Carol Milford of St. Paul. Games and stunts were the order of the day, with merry talk and conversation. At a late hour dainty refreshments were served, and the party broke up with many expressions of pleasure at the pleasant affair. Among those present were Mesdames Kennicott, Elder
Dr. Will Kennicott, for the past several years one of our most popular and skilful physicians and surgeons, gave the town a delightful surprise when he returned from an extended honeymoon tour in Colorado this week with his charming bride, née Miss Carol Milford of St. Paul, whose family are socially prominent in Minneapolis and Mankato. Mrs. Kennicott is a lady of manifold charms, not only of striking charm of appearance but is also a distinguished graduate of a school in the East and has for the past year been prominently connected in an important position of responsibility with the St. Paul Public Library, in which city Dr. “Will” had the good fortune to meet her. The city of Gopher Prairie welcomes her to our midst and prophesies for her many happy years in the energetic city of the twin lakes and the future. The Dr. and Mrs. Kennicott will reside for the present at the Doctor’s home on Poplar Street which his charming mother has been keeping for him who has now returned to her own home