Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 13, June 25, 1870

A moonlit turnpike, a ramshackle fence, and the restless whispers of a pauper burial‑ground set the stage for a peculiar evening in 1870 New York. John Bumstead, a weary traveler, is drawn into a strange tableau when a ragged boy named Smalley tosses stones that never quite hit their intended mark, while an eccentric old man, Mortarity, watches the scene with a mix of melancholy and cryptic humor. Their banter, laced with odd phrases and off‑beat songs, creates a vivid portrait of a world where the ordinary and the uncanny brush shoulders.

Into this tableau drifts the enigma of Mr. E. Drood, a mystery that unfolds through the unlikely partnership of Bumstead, the scholarly McLaughlin, and the mischievous youth. As the characters trade riddles about missed stones, hidden graves, and the strange economics of “aiming,” a deeper puzzle begins to surface, hinting at secrets buried beneath the gravel road. Listeners will be drawn into a blend of eccentric comedy and suspense, eager to follow the clues as the mystery slowly takes shape.