r to a Masquerade.
With that to work on, all you need to do is to fill in the Talk."

"I have recently prepared a One-Act Play, but I am not sure that it
will meet your Requirements," said the Author. "It is called 'The
Language of Flowers.' There are three Characters in the Play--a young
Shepherd named Ethelbert, the Lady Gwendolin and a Waiting Maid."

"We couldn't carry three People," said the Artist. "You'd better use
a Dummy instead of the Hired Girl. I do an awful funny Wrassle with a
Dummy. Go ahead and slip me the Plot."

"It is an idyllic Thing," said the Author. "Ethelbert is in love with
Gwendolin, but he is not certain that his Love is reciprocated. So
he sends her the Flowers. The waiting-maid brings them into the Bower
where Lady Gwendolin is seated and with them a Scroll of Verses from
Ethelbert. The Lady Gwendolin unrolls the Scroll and reads:

"'Traced in the Veins of the Petals
Are the Lines I fain would speak
And breathing low in the perfumed Leaves
Is the Name--'"

"Hold on," said the Artist. "That's a Cinch. Have a Stage-Hand come on
with the Flowers. Lottie says, 'I know who sent these,' and so on and
so on, and his Nobs gets off. Then her alone with the big arm-load
of Hollyhawks, that I'm supposed to be sendin' her--savvy? She says,
'Well, there's no three ways about it, I've got this Gazabo dead to
Rights.' She goes on to talk about Me, leading up to her song, 'John
L. will be our Champion once again.' Bing! The Door-Bell rings. Then,
me on quick, see? I've thought out a Make-Up that's sure to get a
Holler the Minute I come on. I wear a pair of Pants made out of Tin
Foil, a Fur Coat with Lace around the Bottom and on my Head I wear
a Coal-scuttle with some Sleigh-Bells fastened to it. As I come down
Stage I make some crack about just escapin' from a Business College.
When I see the Doll, I go over and slap her on the Back, pull out a
Sprinklin' Can and water the Flowers. You'll have to fix me up a Line
to introduce the Sprinkler. As soon as she sees me, she gets stuck,
so she hands me one of the Flowers. I say, 'Ah, a night-blooming
Pazizum'--then I take a Salt-Cellar out of my Vest and shake some Salt
on the Flower and eat it. I done that with a Piece called 'A Boiled
Dinner,' and it always went big. When she sees me eat the Flower, that
makes her sore, understand? She comes at me with a right-hand Pass. I
fall over a Chair and do a Head Spin. You fix up a strong Line for me
just