The Washington critic., 1886-02-17

lor establishment at Georgetown was
the headquarters for Senators, Repre-.
scntaliycs, Judges and public men, IRE.
spective of political opinion, and at
whose mahogany the best cheer pre-.
vailed under the auspices of n French
cook of considerable celebrity. ilankel
by u we'll filled lArder and an ovcrran-
ming cellar Of the choicest wines.
Whenever General Hancock visited
Washington Mr.. Esberg always
gave dinner In his honor
after which came the invariable
game Of whist played for ostonsible
stakes, but with the understanding that
the winnings should be donated TO the
servants, it is related that on one oc.
casion when General Hancock had been
invited to dine at Mr.. Esberg's in com
pany with several other distinguished
gentlemen the chef in over samp-
ling the wines, "fell by the waysidc," "
The dinner was set for 9 p. m, and
Mr.. Esberg remained in the city at his
place of business until the hour arrived
to proceed homcward, all oblivious of
his cook unfortunate condition. Upon
entering his house there lay the cook
in drunken stupor. The table was
not set nor had a mouthful of dinner
been prepared. Here was dilemma,
and Esbcrg was nearly frantic with dis
may. All efforts to arouse the re-
calcitrant cook were useless, aud one
by one the guests arrived and were
ushered into the parlors, General Han.
cock alone being tardy. There was
nothing left but to explain the situation,
which the guests accepted philosoph-
ically, ana resolved to have some
fun with General Hancock. Presently
the General appeared apparently in eX-
ccllcnt humor for good dinner, but
no dinner was announced, although the
General looked frequently In an ap.
pcaling manner toward the dining.
room door. After roasting him some
time with hope deferred, explanation
was finally made to the General. TAX.
ing in the situation at once, he said:
81 am an old campaigner and have
been disappointed too often in obtain.
ing dinner TO allow that to worry me
What have you got in your pantry and
icc-boX, Esberg. Let us see if we can
not, like experienced soldiers, get
dinner for ourselves and be in
dependent of the cook!" The suggcs.
ton operated like magic. Away
the guests sped to the larder and I'M
earthcd a haunch of cold corned beef,
n half dozen canvas-back ducks,
dozen tillets and various other tooth
some things. The table was set in
iiify, the ducks and iillets grilled on the
kitchen fire, and in a half hour or so,
grand dinner was prepared, with
potatoes as the only vegetable. Gen
eral Hancock helped cook the canvas
back, holding his watch on them,
dressed the salad and performed prodi-
gies of prandial valor, The guests sat
down and rs they afterward declared,
enjoyed the dinner more as consc.
quence of the circumstances. "Thank
heaven" calculated Hancock, eve are
not at the mercy of drunken cook, at
least so far as opening the claret and
champagne are concerned This is the
best dinner / have had since the war !"
~
Curtis says in special to the New
York Gyurlic! II hear that ex-Presi-
dent Arthur is coming over the last of
this month as the guest of Judge
Davis, and will remain for quite a
visit. Although the reports of Mr..
Arthur's ill-health are very much ex-
aggerated, those who have seen him
lately tell me that he is compelled to
be very careful of himself, aud has
given up the big dinners and late hours
that he INDUCED in during his Prcsi-
| Dental term. He has done this more
MS q precaution than from compulsion,
as his physicians have advised him to
adhere to a simple diet and more regu-
| lar sleep. He never used to think of
retiring before ? or 3 o'clock in the
morning, and considered five or six
| hours rest ample, but the recent sud
den deaths of so many people have
awakened alarm in his mind rs well Us
in other men of his age and style, and
he has wisely cut himself Off from
| pleasures which he formerly enjoyed
without limit. He declines nearly all
| dinner invitations, and when he accepts
one he eats and drinks very little. lie
is now in the habit of retiring at half
| past 10 or II o'clock, and sleeps until
late in the morning. His absence from
many parties where he was expected
has given rise to the rumors of his poor
health, but his friends say that the
| precautions he has taken have been
quite noticeable in his strength and ap.
pearance."