What is the tone of this excerpt from mark twain's "mental telegraphy again"?

i have three or four curious incidents to tell about. they seem to come under the head of what i named "mental telegraphy" in a paper written seventeen years ago, and published long afterwards.—
several years ago i made a campaign on the platform with mr. george w. cable. in montreal we were honored with a reception. it began at two in the afternoon in a long drawing-room in the windsor hotel. mr. cable and i stood at one end of this room, and the ladies and gentlemen entered it at the other end, crossed it at that.