The Amusing Story an American Development.--Its Difference
from Comic and Humorous Stories.

I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only
claim to cognize how a story ought to be told, for I have been about daily
in the institution of the most expert story-tellers for galore years.

There are some kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind--the
humorous. I wish talk chiefly just about that one. The amusing story is
American, the comic story is English, the humorous story is French. The
humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling;
the comic story and the humorous story upon the matter.

The amusing story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around
as more as it