I have seen a great deal of fun and laughter produced by a very simple
little device, which I call the Spectre Specs.
A large party of people at a small country hotel were yawning away the
evening, as they often do in such places, when the inspiration seized
one of the most able-bodied yawners to do something to break up the
monotony. Taking into his confidence little Tom Wittles, an admirable
boy, with a large faculty for fun and mischief, he induced that youth to
purloin his grandmother's spectacles. With this modest instrument and a
paint-box belonging to one of the guests, they retired to a bedroom,
where the gentleman painted the surface of the spectacles all over with
white paint, and then neatly cleared a round spot in the centre of each
glass. He then painted a couple of pointed eyebrows on his own forehead
with black, and put on the spectacles. Then he tousled his hair, and
twisted a few threads of white and red worsted amongst it. This gave him
an appearance awful to behold, of which Fig. 1 gives but a very faint
idea.
Thus transformed, he walked into the dimly lighted parlor doorway, and
inquired in a deep voice of the other yawners whether a gentleman of the
name of Samercanderoffsky was boarding in that hotel. There was no more
yawning after that.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
When all the company had completely recovered from their surprise, the
gentleman retired again to his chamber, and began to transform Tom
Wittles. He first painted a pair of eyebrows in the middle of the boy's
forehead, and then slightly altered the eyeballs in the spectacles so as
to give them the appearance of a squint. Placing them on Tom's forehead
just above the real eyebrows, he told him to close his eyes. He led him
into the parlor, and introduced him as the son of Mr. Samercanderoffsky.
Fig. 2 is his portrait. Of course there was no surprise now, but the lad
looked very funny, and produced no end of laughter with his long face
and melancholy expression.
One word as to the material to be employed in painting the spectacles.
Chinese white, such as artists use, is all that is needed; but as very
few people are apt to own such a thing, perhaps the best plan is to cut
two oval pieces of white paper the shape of the spectacle bows, with a
round hole in the middle, and stick them on the back of the glasses.
[Illustration: "WHY SHOULDN'T WE ENJOY OURSELVES?"
"For it's our delight of a shiny night at this season of the year."]