Object, Matrimony

A drifter narrator and his companion Ellis find themselves lodged in the over‑the‑top “Hall of Mirth,” a mansion decked out in patriotic colors and gaudy décor that belongs more to a grand ball than to any ordinary household. Their employer, the flamboyant Shooting‑Star Wilson, has poured a fortune into the place, leaving the two men to navigate its echoing rooms, oversized furniture and the constant hum of extravagance that feels both amusing and oppressive during a bleak winter.

When the town’s social life stalls from illness, the trio turns to a bundle of cheap magazines, each promising daring rescues, beauty tips, and etiquette advice. Shooting‑Star devours the pages, pausing to read aloud a short treatise that extols marriage as the ultimate “investment” for a man—a notion that sparks witty debate among the three. As the narrator absorbs these quirky lessons, he begins to wonder whether the gaudy surroundings and the printed counsel might lead him toward an unexpected—and perhaps uncomfortable—lesson in love and partnership.