Short Fiction · Chapter
A Midsummer Masquerade explained
Jeff Peters recounts a summer vacation with his partner Andy Tucker at the Woodchuck Inn in Crow Knob, where they encounter old acquaintance Smoke-’em-out Smithers, who has falsely advertised that the Duke of Marlborough and Lieutenant Pear
What happens
Jeff Peters recounts a summer vacation with his partner Andy Tucker at the Woodchuck Inn in Crow Knob, where they encounter old acquaintance Smoke-’em-out Smithers, who has falsely advertised that the Duke of Marlborough and Lieutenant Peary will be guests. To save his business, Smithers convinces Jeff and Andy to impersonate the two celebrities. Andy's drunken, rambling performance as both the Duke and the explorer quickly unravels, causing the female boarders to leave. Despite the failed scheme, Jeff and Andy manage to win $1,100 from Smithers playing cards, turning their would-be rest into a profitable venture.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Jeff and Andy impersonate famous figures to deceive the inn's guests, highlighting the theme of false appearances and the ease of fooling a credulous public.
Humor and Irony
The story is comedic, with Andy's drunken, absurd performance as both the Duke and the explorer providing ironic humor as the scheme collapses.
Characters to notice
- Jeff Peters
Narrator and con artist who, with Andy Tucker, impersonates a famous explorer at the Woodchuck Inn.
- Andy Donovan
Jeff's partner; he drunkenly plays both the Duke of Marlborough and Lieutenant Peary, ruining the masquerade.
- The Colonel
Referred to as 'Old Smoke-’em-out Smithers,' the proprietor of Woodchuck Inn who enlists Jeff and Andy to impersonate celebrity guests.
Key passages
“Satan, said Jeff Peters, is a hard boss to work for. When other people are having their vacation is when he keeps you the busiest.”
Jeff Peters remarks that the devil makes you work hardest when everyone else is on holiday.
Opens the story with a wry observation about the con artist's relentless workload.
“I want to loaf and indict my soul, as Walt Whittier says.”
Andy says he wants to relax and examine his conscience, misquoting the poet John Greenleaf Whittier.
Shows Andy's desire for a break from their usual schemes, with a humorous literary misattribution.
“We was tired of finance and all the branches of unsanctified ingenuity.”
Jeff and Andy were weary of their dishonest financial schemes and clever tricks.
Establishes their motivation for seeking a vacation from their con artist lifestyle.
“Old Smoke-’em-out leads us into a kind of summer house in the yard near the gate and took up the harp of life and smote on all the chords with his mighty right.”
Smithers brought them to a gazebo and began to speak eloquently about his situation.
Describes Smithers' dramatic storytelling style as he explains his predicament.
“You behold before you, Mr. Smithers, two of the finest equipped men on earth for inveigling the proletariat, whether by word of mouth, sleight-of-hand or swiftness of foot.”
Andy boasts that he and Jeff are expert swindlers, skilled in persuasion, trickery, and quick escapes.
Andy's confident declaration of their con artist abilities, setting up the impersonation scheme.
“It was the union of corn whiskey and the conscientious fictional form that Mr. W. D. Howletts admires so much.”
Andy's rambling story was a mix of cheap whiskey and a deliberate, literary style of fiction.
Narrator's ironic commentary on Andy's drunken, elaborate performance.