The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-04-13
IoAsIMAsTER HARkER.
Hs "reminiscences Of Distinguished
Dinners.

teri"
No; l gave up my post some
time ago; but / am the Queens
bailiff at the Central Criminal Court,
and am one of the oldest servants
of the Corporation"
"How many dinners have you put
through in your official capacity?"
"Four thousand and ninety"
"Most of the great speakers you
have heard take something to keep
their voice in trim?"
"Well, Disraeli, for instance, al
ways had his butler behind him
with bottle of sherry and egg,
which he had ready mixed. Mr.
Gladstone, I have noticed, takes
sherry but no eggs. The Prince of
Wales, be likes hook and cham
pagne. The Duke of Edinburg, his
servant always brings his special
brand with him-a Russian cham
pagne." J."
"Well, Mr.. Harker. you have GER
tainly heard more after dinner
speeches than any man living. Win
you offer some criticisms2"l
"Well, l suppose, Charles Dick
ems was as ready a speaker as ever
head. The words flowed out like q
stream, but he was not what call
good after dinner speaker, because
he was 80 interesting that you
wished he would go on forevee.
Now, that don't do for me, you
know, for l have to stand by with
the watch"
"The stop watch, eh?"
"Yes I've stopped Mr. Gladstone
before to-day" This in confiden-
tial whisper.
"You don't say SOP"
ga fact. When he is too long |
have spoken into his ear. Time,
sir t-i-m-e,' and then he slacks up.
With ordinary men I say it to the
chair, not to let the room hear me,
you know. l never stop man at
charity dinner. It doesn't do"
"Is the Prince Of Wales a good
speaker?'
IA glorious fellow. If had only
a sovereign in the world and he
wanted it, he should have it. Why,
| brought him out in '63, and have
stood behind him many time and
oft. Does he speak from notes
Not in speaking of himself--never.
He has a slip of paper to show the
order of the toasts, that's all.
What's his fayorite dish2 Well, he
likes dainties en- caisse, en- papil-
lote, larks, Holsters, oysters. He
is very fond ofithose."
"Well, now, who are the most
favored people you have attended?'
Mr.. Harker looked hurt, and his
fingers fumbled irritably with his
white tie as he proceeded:
"Why, nearly all the crowned
heads in Europe. The Queen, to
begin with. Then l brought out the
Prince of Wales in 1868, and all his
brothers and his sons, the Emperor
of Austria, the late Gear and the
present Car, the late Emperor
Frederick, the Emperor Napoleon
VIII, ] remember swearing in the
late Emperor of the French as a
special juryman at Old Bailey when
he was nobody. Did he serve?
Just like enybody else. He had to
serve by the law of the land.
Then | claim to be the person
who first induced the Princess OF
Wales to make a speech in public.
| / was standing behind her good
many years ago-it was at a charity
dinner or luncheon, and her speech
was going to be read by her secre
tary. | ventured to say, If your
Royal Highness would only say a
word yourself it would make all the
difference, and she did. The Bar
oness Burdett- Coutts, too. induced
to speak when she opened Colum-
bia Market"
"Well, you heard about your
successor who couldn't pronounce
Massachusetts? What was the most
difficult name you ever had to
tackle?"
"The Madagascar ENJOYS. They
were cautions. Observation-Disclosures,
as near as can remember it, said
Mr.. Harker. Grain and rain and
dry again, as Punch called it. The
biggest number think I every did
was 1000 foreign doctors who dined
at the Guildhall, and they said
did not make one mistake"
"What preparation had you foz
your onerous duties?"
"In 1874 ] shipped with Sir John
Ross for the Antartic expedition
We wintered twice in rs degrees
south; then went to China, Aus.
/ tralia, New Zealand, Tasmania, get
ting remounts for the regiments
engaged in the Indian mutiny.
had Joined the commissariat then
II came home in the fifties ano
served through the Crimean war
/ ANY woundsP"
1 "a bullet in my leg, gun car
riage crushed my ribs, and a slice
| of my chin cut off aaith q saber
1 p4++w to,,rh oh3 T have fwnntv