It was April in the year 2026 A.D. when a reporter of the Picton Gazette entered the lobby of a Picton hotel to interview the Distinguished Visitor. The D. V. was hardly conscious of the reporter’s entry, so interested was he in an old dilapidated book the cover of which was originally a blue color, hardly visible through the dust of years that had accumulated on it.

Greeting the reporter the D. V. said, “In a cupboard in my room I came across an old volume. It is an old telephone directory of Picton and the surrounding country for 1926. Picton must have been peculiar in those days.”

“In what way?” asked the reporter. “Glance at this old directory,” replied the Distinguished Visitor. “In those days there were more Smiths in your city than almost any other trade, yet I see in here, there was one Mason, eleven Millers for the four Mills, a Miner, one Plummer, two Bakers, five Carters and one Packer.

“There were at that time 7 Clarks to handle two Sales. There were seven Cooks with one Master. There are also listed here a Driver for Cole with two Coleman, three Coopers, a Gardner, to say nothing of a Tanner, several Taylors, a Wheeler, Barbers and a few Workman.

“But Picton must have had a large nobility as well,” continued the D. V. “I can see in my mind’s eye the Hilts of their Sharp, Short, Steele swords, shining with the Frost as they walked across the Browne heath into the Church. There were it seems Kings, several Knights, two Nobles an Earle Haddon, Stuart, Styles, going a Cross the Stone Street. Behind them were the Porters in Gray, White, and Green livery while last came a Lytle lad. As they proceeded Church Ward the Bishop in Black joined them and the lad Knox his hat off.”

“Just a minute,” the reporter interrupted. “Is this all in the 1926 Directory?” “Oh, yes!” replied the D. V. “Do you think I’m a Nutt trying to Hyde in this House. These are mostly English, French and German people who left their Holmes in the Woods and Fields and spent Weeks on the Tripp. They would Hunt the Hicks and Harts as they would the Lyons, the Fox, Hawkes and any Bird as well as the Wolfe, the Chase often disturbing the people Near by. They would Neal on one Legg and be Meek until the Moon Rose, then they would Mark time on the trail to the sound of a Bell Clapp.

“Carrs, a type of Ford painted a Berry color, were popular and the Young people raised Cain in them except when a tire would blow out like a Cannon. Darling little Buggs would fly thru the Cars and strike the occupants. Cases found in Barnes brought about O.T.A. investigations and Parsons and Deans were always doing that sort of thing. They would—” But the Distinguished Visitor got no farther.

“Hay” yelled the reporter, “I’ll Grant you I’m pretty well ready to Begg for mercy but I’ll send out a distress Roecktt if you Bray any longer.”

A few minutes later the Asylum attendants arrived and the D. V. was taken out. The reporter recovered his senses several hours later.