“It’s a hard game to follow if ye’re lookin’ on an’ puttin’ up th’ money as I am.  I’ve been readin’ about it in th’ pa-apers an’ I can’t make out now whether th’ inimy is lootin’ th’ breweries iv Conneticut or whether th’ definders iv our hearths has blown thim up in th’ harbor iv New London.  ‘I have th’ honor to rayport,’ says Admiral Higginson, ‘that I have this day desthroyed all th’ forts on th’ New England coast, put th’ definders to rout with gr-reat slaughter an’ kilt with me own hands Gin’ral McArthur th’ Commander iv th’ lan’ foorces—­a brave man but no match f’r ye’ers thruly.  His las’ wurruds to me was “Higginson, ye done well!” I rayturned him his soord with th’ wurruds:  “Gin’ral, between two brave men there can be no hard feelin’s.”  Th’ battle in which me gallant foe met his fate was th’ con-clusion iv wan iv th’ mos’ successful socyal an’ naval campaigns in th’ histhry iv our counthry.  I have th’ honor to inform ye that promptly on th’ declaration iv war, I give an afthernoon tea to th’ Duchess iv Marlborough.  Th’ forts at Newport attimpted to reply, but was unable to scoor more thin three or four westhren millyonaires an’ soon succumbed to th’ inivitable.  I thin moved up th’ Sound an’ fell upon Gin’ral McArthur whin he wasn’t lookin’.  Befure he cud load his guns, we poored a perfect blankety-blank hell iv blank catridges on him.  He made a spirited reply but t’was useless.  We outfought him be nearly fifty thousan’ dollars worth iv powdher.  In th’ mist iv th’ flame an’ smoke, I discerned th’ caitiff foe standin’ on top iv a fort directin’ his wav’rin’ foorces.  “Hi-spy, Gin’ral McArthur,” says I in claryon tones, an’ th’ battle was over to all intints an’ purposes.  I have to ispicially commind Cap’n McWhallop who, findin’ his boat caught between th’ fires an’ th’ inimy, called out:  “Lay me down, boys, an’ save th’ ship.  I’m full iv marmylade.”  Th’ ladies aboord was perfectly delighted with th’ valor an’ hospitality iv our men.  To-night we completed our wurruk be givin’ a dinner an’ hop on boord th’ flagship.  Among those presint was—­’ an’ so on.

“That’s what th’ gallant Higginson says.  But listen to what th’ akelly gallant McArthur says:  ‘I have th’ honor to rayport that mesilf an’ me gallant men, but largely if I do say it that shudden’t, mesilf, crushed an’ annihilated th’ inimy’s fleet at high noon to-day.  Las’ night at th’ first round iv jacks, or midnight, as civilyans wud say, we rayceived a rayport fr’m our vigylant scouts that th’ inimy were not at Bar Harbor, Pookypsie, Keokuk, Johannesboorg or Council Bluffs.  But where were they?  That was th’ question.  An idee struck me.  War is as much a matther iv ingenooty an’ thought as iv fire an’ slaughter.  I sint out f’r an avenin’ paper an’ as I suspicted, it announced that th’ craven foe was about two blocks away.  At that very moment, th’ sthrains iv th’ “Bloo Danoob” was wafted to me ears an’ me suspicions was confirmed.