Silas Hemlock, a typical rube with an umbrella and carpet bag, arrives in the city on pleasure and business. Searching for lodgings be comes across a neat-looking rooming house with a large sign reading: "Particularly Quiet and Restful. ...See moreSilas Hemlock, a typical rube with an umbrella and carpet bag, arrives in the city on pleasure and business. Searching for lodgings be comes across a neat-looking rooming house with a large sign reading: "Particularly Quiet and Restful. Boarders Taken In." Unaware that already the house is crowded to overflowing with persons seeking quiet and rest, Silas rings the bell and is admitted. The landlady looks him over and escorts him down the hall to room 13. Silas, being superstitious, objects to the hoodoo 13, but the landlady fixes things by merely pressing a button and lo! the number is changed to 23. The lady enters to make the room fit for the newcomer, while Silas waits outside to stroke up an acquaintance with J. Hamilton Shocksper, a tragedian, who is seeking rest and quiet at the establishment to study his part in the new production of "Who Stole Dinkelspiel's Sausage." Others of the boarders file past, a vaudeville team, a gay soubrette, and a prize fighter who takes offense at Silas's attentions to the soubrette, but who gets knocked out by a short stiff jab from the athletic Silas. Everything is ready for Silas when he enters his room, and he prepares immediately to go to bed. Things then begin to get lively. Rats scoot about his bed and the various articles of furniture in the room begin performing uncannily. The vaudeville team in the room above dance the plastering from the ceiling and the soubrette has a nightmare and comes prancing into his room, singing her latest comedy "hit." The tragedian, dragging a clumsy dummy and brandishing a ferocious saber, stalks into the room, runs the dummy through and wades exultantly out of the room, muttering 16th century slang. This is too much for the dummy, who comes to life and flies out of the room. Silas can stand it no more. A storm has come up, the lightning flashes and the rain splatters in at the open window. He endeavors to close the curtains, but as fast as he pulls them to they mysteriously fly back again. The furniture starts a ghostly dance, the bed waltzes out into the hallway, while the table runs away with the washstand. Soaked with the rain, Silas looks despairingly about him. He snatches his umbrella, opens it and waits shiveringly for Gabriel's trumpet, for he is convinced that the days of the world are numbered. More plaster falls and the grand climax comes when out of the storm are blown a great quantity of cats and dogs. The frightened Silas, whose courage has wholly oozed out of him, makes a dart for the door and out of the dreadful house. Back to the farm for him! No more gay city life for this rural body of simple ways and trustful mien! Written by
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