Very Embarrassing

Southland Times, Issue 11751, 2 June 1891, Page 4

Very Embarrassing

It ia a critics! moment in the life and

clothing of a man when be gets down on hi* knees to look under the sofa for a bail of wool which a lady friend Las dropped. Il ia possible tbat be may be able to accomplish this and recover his perpendicular with bo more serious reanlts than a very ni face and a general aenee of having done something for which he should be ■Mt from the room, bnt in nine caeet oat of ten be never recovers the good opinion of himself that he possessed before he undertook the discovery of that ball. It is always just beyond his reach, and in a moment of weakness he drops down on his vest aod commences to work himself •nder the sofa by a series of acrobatic feats that wonld have won him an encore on the stage. He is so intent on the recovery of the wool that he quite forgets bis appearance, until he is reminded of it by a supfjcssssd titter from cne of tbe ladies. Then he realises tbe situation, and com-■■-■sjsjßees to back oor. Of coorae his coat works op over his bead, and as he feels a OO'd streak creep op hie back he pronounces a benediction on the man who invented ■ofss. He is also painfully conscious tbat •bout two inches of red flaonel undergarments are visible between the tops of his boots and tbe bottoms of his trousers This has tho effect of producing more internal emotion and still more violent struggles to back out, during w^ich one .brace breaks and hie collar stud comes out. When he finally deliver* himself, and stands up in tbe room, you would not reoogoise in that red-faced, wild-eyed man standing there holding his clothes together with one hand and trying to sraootb down his hair with the other tbe smiling, genteel ladies' man who stooped down to pick up a btil of wool a moment befere.