From The Widening Stain by Morris Bishop:

***

"Put it under Education and you can't go wrong." Miss Gorham smiled to herself. That was the sort of little joke she enjoyed. The best little jokes are plain statements of fact.

***

"They weren't talking very loud. But I did hear one thing. She called him a papoose."
"A what?"
"A papoose. You know, Indian baby."
"But that doesn't make sense!"
"I didn't say it made sense. I said she called him a papoose."

***

[Department of Anthropomorphized Clocks]

As the two stepped out through the wide French windows, the great clock of the Library cleared its throat, struck ten mournful strokes, and sighed.

***

"[Golf] is an introspective game. In any other game.... one extroverts, to the good of one's soul."

[First time I've seen "extrovert" as a verb!]

***

She put on her luncheon face and strolled to the Union.

***

[Magic Words Dept.]

"'Hickory, dickory, dock' is in limerick form, and is probably very ancient. It suggests in its wording an old gypsy spell, which begins: 'Ekkeri, akai-ri, you kair-an.' And that suggests the numerals in Sanskrit, and also the very ancient Anglo-Cymric score, by means of which the shepherds still count their sheep."

***

"It had the right rhyme-scheme, a a b b a, but lines three and four were the same length as lines one, two, and five. I had to tell her it was an improper limerick."

***

As [the operatic singer] questioned whether or not she should wake the hotly burning lover.... her voice assumed a thrilling, penetrating quality that would have roused anyone else, though he were dozing in the lobby.