Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-27

teeth WHITE ana Irregular, the chin IOT-
ward and prominent. Altogether no one
could say she was handsome. Her man
ner was easy and her years apparent in
the gray threads that cut through the
brown locks drawn over her shapely
head
QUEER CUSTOMERS
The Fork of Death, the Great american
Soup-Eater, and the Host Whose Guests
We're 4l,rays Late.
In M. Eugene Chavette's witty and Gu
rious little volume, published in 1867,
''Restaurateurs ct Restaures,'' some por-
traits are given of eccentric guests cele-
brated at Partisan cafes One of the
most famous Of these was Courier, COM
monty called sThe Fork of DEATH"
habitue of the Restaurant Bonvalet,
who invited victim to dine
with him by the year and slew
him with high feeding. The first died of
apoplexy after a six months combat: the
second held his own for two years, and
then succumbed to "a liver complaint
an indigestion brought on by over-in-
diligence in the liver Of the Strasbourg
goose-"three days after" as Courier
sadly SAID when gazing on the funeral
from the window of the restaurant, II
had treated him to a new hat for his
birthday A third champion then de-
scended into the stream, long lean man
named Ameline, who said his invariable
grace when sitting down to table with
his host, "You old rascal, Pm going to
bury yeu!" while the host gently replied
by way of :sAmen I" sNonsense. The
other two said the same thing" The
crafty Ameline, however, took occasion
to pick quarrel monthly with this am
phitryon, and, retiring sulkily to his
tent, dieted himself on tea, toast, and
SIENNA, returning to the encounter mol
lifted and fresh after an absence of two
or three days, during which Gour-
Ter lost still more ground by
eating rapidly and injuring his
digestion by solitary and gloomy refec-
tons One day, after this duel had last
ed three years, Courier, who had just
helped himself to a fourteenth slice of
-year-old Welsh mutton, threw his
head back His companion, thinking he.
was about to sneeze, muttered the Gus
tomary benediction, but Courier fell for
ward into the currant jelly, dead as the
mutton he so dearly loved. He who had
taken the fork perisned by the fork. He
should have initiated the prudent diner of
the Cafe Richie, who always had two
dozenIsaucers piled at his left when he
sat down to table, and wore one between
his collar and the nape of his neck
throughout the repast, changing it as it
became warm, as preventive against
apoplexy.
There was good deal of monotony
and variety about the bi-monthly repast
of the eccentric who used to dine at the
Maison Philippe, going conscientiously
through the thirty-five or forty soups on
the bill of fare and topping off with a
cream meringue. Another much pointed
out diner frequented the Restaurant
Velour, distinguishing himself by his
devotion to sweets-a plump and rosy
little old gentleman, who had carried the
Princess Lamballe's head round Paris on
pike in his salad days.
Handel, who ordered the dinner for
four, and, arriving alone, babe it be
brought in sbrestlssimo-I am de gom-
pany," was outdone by the man OF an I'M
bounded stomach who used to visit Va
chette's every fortnight and call for the
proprietor, Brebant, and give the follow
ing order: "My dear Brebant, shall
have six friends to dinner tomorrow
mentioning their names). ALI expert
enced diners, you see? Get up
nice little dinner--seventy francs a
head, without wine. Have it served
at 6 O'Clock, post Office time. I have
told them to be punctual. At 5:45 the
host arrives, inspects the table, writes
out the names Of the diners and places
their cards at their plates, arranges the
relishes according to the taste of each,
then takes out his watch. ssAh! O'Clock
and no one here" Brebant-s'Perhaps
you are fast!' "No, always keep post
office time, and l told them to the min
ute 'sIll give them a lesson. Have
dinner served" Brebant-stBut they
may have been unaccountably delayed
"Well, I'll give them five minutes grace"
After watching for them in vain, sPut on
the dinner; they can overtake me. "Then
he fell to and devoured the dinner for
seven, lndulging in monolog for the
benft of the waiter. "Why on earth did
all those sceundrels fail to keep their ap-
pointments7 All, by Joye, A always
dimes to-day with his wife's mother-I
never thought Of that. But B! Isuppose
he has had an attack of ms old enemy,
the govt. And G; oh, the rascal has met
pretty woman on the way, 1 could bet
on it; he will never learn wisdom if he
lives to be as old as Methuselah
Having found excuses for all But hang
it, gentleman would send three lines
to say he couldn't come. Coffee being
served, he sends for Brebant and says,
with a triumphant smile: "You see if
had taken your advice, I'd be waiting for
them still. I'll invite them again three
weeks from now, and see if they will be
more punctual.r And two weeks later,
the same comedy having been performed
with due solemnity, the diner re1terates
his determination with indignant vehem-
ence: "D-n them, I'll ask them again!
l want to see how far they Will carry
their brutal lack of polteness."