The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq.

in my purse. There were some trivial arrangements afterwards, to be sure; but these formed no portion of the plan. They were a consequence⁠—a result. For example, I bought pen, ink, and paper, and put them into furious activity. Having thus completed a magazine article, I gave it, for appellation, “ Fol Lol , by the Author of ‘ The Oil-of-Bob ,’ ” and enveloped it to the Goosetherumfoodle . That journal, however, having pronounced it “twattle” in the “Monthly Notices to Correspondents,” I reheaded the paper “ ‘Hey-Diddle-Diddle,’ by Thingum Bob , Esq. , Author of the Ode on ‘The Oil-of-Bob,’ and Editor of the Snapping-Turtle .” With this amendment, I re-enclosed it to the Goosetherumfoodle , and, while I awaited a reply, published daily, in the Turtle , six columns of what may be termed philosophical and analytical investigation of the literary merits of the Goosetherumfoodle , as well as of the personal character of the editor of the Goosetherumfoodle . At the end of a week the Goosetherumfoodle discovered that it had, by some odd mistake, “confounded a stupid article, headed ‘Hey-Diddle-Diddle’ and composed by some unknown ignoramus, with a gem of resplendent lustre similarly entitled, the work of Thingum Bob, Esq. , the celebrated author of ‘The Oil-of-Bob.’ ” The Goosetherumfoodle deeply “regretted this very