Baled Hay: A Drier Book than Walt Whitman's "Leaves o' Grass"

The narrator greets listeners with a dry, self‑deprecating humor that feels like a conversation over a steaming cup of tea. He thanks his patient wife for tolerating his half‑baked jokes and explains his habit of hopping on a train just to hear a newsboy extoll the virtues of his own books. This playful framing sets a tone that is part satire, part affectionate memoir, and hints at a series of oddball observations that will pepper the story.

In the first act we meet Harry Bevans, a timid clerk from a modest Midwestern town who has fallen head‑over‑heels for the enchanting Fanny Buttonhook. Harry’s attempts at courtship are as clumsy as a wind‑tossed ribbon, ranging from shy telephone calls to accidental dashes into millinery shops and livery stables. His nervous antics and the colorful backdrop of small‑town life create a charmingly absurd portrait of love‑struck earnestness that keeps the listener guessing what will happen next.