I found the old machine in the attic, and amused myself by cleaning and oiling it thoroughly. I tried to hammer out some jokes -- but they seemed to disappear into the mechanism. Then I tried typing my name. "William Shakespeare" appeared on the page. Flattering as that was, I gave it up, and parked the machine in the library as a curiosity. That night, coming home quite late from the club, I heard a disturbing sound in the darkness. Click! "Who's there!" I called out. Click-click-click! came the reply. Then the mystery cleared itself -- for following close upon a thirteenth click came the gentle ringing of a bell. I knew then the typewriter was in action . . . by no means a reassuring discovery. Who or what could it be, using the typewriter at this unholy hour of 3 a.m.?

Author Biography

John Kendrick Bangs (1862 - 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis Nehemiah Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. Bangs. He went to Columbia College from 1880 to 1883 where he became editor of Columbia's literary magazine, Acta Columbia and contributed short anonymous pieces to humor magazines. After graduation in 1883 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Political Science, Bangs entered Columbia Law School but left in 1884 to become Associate Editor of Life under Edward S. Martin. Bangs contributed many articles and poems to the magazine between 1884 and 1888. During this period, Bangs published his first books.