A Causeway

A rich woman, having returned from abroad, disembarked at the foot of Knee-deep Street. As she prepared to walk to her hotel through the mud, a policeman approached her.

"Madam," he said, "I cannot permit you to do that; you would soil your shoes and stockings."

"Oh, that is of no importance, really," replied the rich woman with a cheerful smile.

"But, madam, it is needless," the policeman insisted. "As you can see, there extends an unbroken line of prostrate newspaper men from the wharf to the hotel, all of whom crave the honor of having you walk upon them."

In light of this revelation, she paused for a moment, then said, "In that case," and seated herself in a nearby doorway. She opened her satchel and added, "I shall have to put on my rubber boots."