A Don Marquis letter to Christopher Morley

The creator of Archy & Mehitabel, Freddy the Rat,
Warty Bliggens the Toad, The Old Soak
and other timeless American treasures




Letter to Christopher Morley

This letter to Christopher Morley was written in reply to a request for information for an article which was published in Morley's book of essays, "Shandygaff."

#39
1916 or 1917

Height, 5 feet 10-1/2 inches; hair, dove-colored; scar on little finger of left hand; has assured carriage, walking boldly into good hotels and mixing with patrons on terms of equality; weight, 200 pounds; face slightly assymetrical but not definitely criminal in type; loathes Japanese art, but likes beefsteak and onions; wears No. 8 shoe; fond of Francis Thompson's poems; inside seam of trousers, 32 inches; imitates cats, dogs and barnyard animals for the amusement of young children; eyetooth in right side of upper jaw is missing; has always been careful to keep thumb prints from possession of police; chest measurement, 42 inches, varying with respirations; sometimes wears glasses, but usually operates undisguised; dislikes the works of Rabindranath Tagore; corn on little toe of right foot; superstitious, especially with regard to psychic phenomena; eyes blue, rudy complexion; garrulous and argumentative; prominent cheek bones; wears 17-inch collar; waist measurement none of your business; favorite disease, hypochondria; walks with rapid gait; mark of old fracture on right shin; cuffs on trousers, and coat cut loose, with plenty of room under the arm pits; two hip pockets; dislikes roquefort cheese, "Tom Jones," Wordsworth's poetry, absinthe cocktails, most musical comedy, public banquets, physical exercise, Billy Sunday, steam heat, toy dogs, poets who wear their souls outside, organized charity, magazine covers, and the gas company; prominent calluses on two fingers of right hand prevent him from being expert pistol shot; belt strap on trousers; long upper lip; clean shaven; shaggy eyebrows; affects soft hats; smile, one-sided; no gold fillings in teeth; voice, husky; scar above the forehead concealed by hair; commonly wears plain gold ring on little finger of left hand; trousers cut loose over hips and sea; would likely come along quietly if arrested.

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Jim Ennes

Don Marquis