The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-02-23
WHERE PRIESTS DINE.
AWaiter Says that They Do Not Talk,
But Know How to Eat.

| / was at my dinner in a quee
restaurant in an odd corner of up
per New York the other day, ane
my attention was distracted from
my food by the frequent passage
through the room of walters lader
with plates and viands. Each kick
ed the swinging door to let himself
through, but when the door was
ajar l could see nothing beyond il
except screen. Over the door was
the word "private. Now and then
a sound as of one person speaking
to another escaped from the room
"How is it possible" / asked my.
self, that two men can keep all
those walters flying to and fro, or
that two men can eat all that is 60
ing in there?''
Dinner party in there?" I ven
tured, to my waiter.
eyes, big one; feefty persons, -
said the waiter.
FIFTY !" I exclaimed. Fifty
what? Fifty deaf mutes, or is it a
dinner of some queer club whose
members have a rule not to speak
l have heard of such oddities among
the rules of the clubs of town."
mo, sare; feefty priests are eat
ing in there. The priest he never
talk when he eats the big dinner.
"No?"
"No, sare; the priest he never
talk while-a he eat. Oh, sare, but
the priest he is the one man in the
world which know how to eat.
First the oysters, and there sit the
feefty or the seventy or the hun
dred priest, and he speak not a
word. Then the soup and his spoon
go fast, but no-a the priests tongue.
Then the fish and still not any talk.
Then the roast and then the this
and the that, and all the time the
different kind of wine and the
spoons and the knife and the fork
they go like sixty, but from the
priest not a word. | have wait on
one hundred priests, and all the
time not word, except perhaps
one says: Good, eh?' and his
neighbor says: 'Finep All, that
is what l call knowing how to eat.
''Ir your country" he went on,
for / had started the waiter upon
topic dear to the Italian soul. "in
your country the people all talk-a
entirely too much. Who can taste
the soup in the middle of the fine
joke? Who can tell-a the differ
ence between the venison and the
partridge if he must scratch-a the
head to make up the comical story?
How can you drink the good wine
as you should if you think what
you shall say to your neighbor and
make-a the grand laugh? All, not
so the priest There is feefty of
him in that-a room, and you do
not hear them crack-a the joke or
tell-a the comic story, or fence with
the smart word. No, they are eat
ing and drinking and 'joying their
selves Ikea men of common sense
which know what a good dinner is
and how it shall be eaten. But
wait, my friend. 1t is now seven
o'clock. Wait till it has been nine
o'clock. Then you shall not ask
is it two men in there?' You
shall think-a the whole town is
there, such laughter and good fun
will come from that room. That
will be over the cordial and coffee
with the good cigar. Then the
stomach is full and the dinner is
out the way and it is time to make-a
the laugh. Wait till you hear if
the priest he does not know how to
eat-a the good dinner"
| heard from this garrulous
waiter that there are priests restau-
rants in town, that is, eating-places
that the priests favor. One of them
is famous Spanish place far down
town. / judged that their custom
is not particularly profitable, since
they mainly eat at their parsonages
or whatever their homes are called,
and only appear elsewhere on pc
culiar occasions when they descend
in great bodies upon their favorite
restaurants and demand that every
thing shall be deliciously cooked
and of the best.-N. Y. Cor. Provi-
lence Journal.