Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-08
FEAsTED IN SILENCE.
A CHINESE BANQUET RUINED BY A
MoNeoLlAN WARD MALLlsrEH.


wanton Dupiieity of Its Insinuating So
ciai Dictator.
The -Four Hundred and more OF China
town--that is to say, the 400 and more
chicken butchers, pawnbrokers and sausage
manufacturers, were In wild nutter OF
social excitement The melting cause Of
the furore was the dinnergiyon by the Mcr-
chants Exchange OF Chinatown to the
minister plenpotentinry from Picking.
Yang YIN. and the score Of pig tailed diplo-
mats in his tiIin. On the previous evening
his excellency had been dined in the true
oriental style by the Chinese Six Companies
and Attorney Riordan, and last night it
came to the turn Of the unclassified men OF
trade in the Monaghan colony TO stun the
representative OF the Celestial empire with
all the delicacies known to their cuisine.
The restaurant is situated on Dupont
4 street. near Commercial, in q three story
structure, with balconies in the oriental
style and profusion of tinsel, red paint,
Chinese lanterns and music that would set
7 the teeth of an alligator on edge. To this
repository of Monaghan delicacies all the
invited guests were proudly wheeled IN
/ American hacks piloted by acute Jehus
: who figured with grim satisfaction ON the
glorious opportunity TO afilict the heather
and In some degree even up matters by
1 charging them six prices FOR the unaccus-
toned luxury OF ride In four wheeled
/ chariot.
/ The hour Of the dinner was o'clock to
/ the minute. III Peking this is the fashion
able time for taking the evening meal, for
the Law OF Confucius has so set It for all
time In Chine.
Precisely VI o'clock the hacks began to
1 Ill ha ptr
and the anxious but delighted pork
| butchers, cigar suffers and fish peddlers be
gun to roll out and elbow eacl other up
stairs in the triul Of tho pleniputentiary,
from whom they were separated by 90
diplomats in costumes that looked like the
hand painted nightshirts conferred on pop
ular bddegrooms by ndmiring female rela-
tivcs. The merchants were also nttired in
long lowing garments Of the robe de mutt
pattern.
4 The guests were soon seated without any
ceremony, but with much sorrow, for
cold blooded social plot developed itself tho
moment that the banquet hall wns reached.
II was expected, of course, that the plen-
ipOIentiary woald take seat somewhere
in the main BANQUET hail, where the ora
tors Of Spoiford alley, which Is noted for iIg
eloquent speakers, would hgven free whGck
Chinese Autographed oloqucnce ia his peck
ct, and several Jackson street and Cum
Cook alley nnanolers were about as well
heclvd It promised to bea great night for
the Chinese language and in expectation
OF prolonged dow Of eloquence brass
band and an extra stock OF rice brandy had
been provided The unexpected, however,
happened, as always does occur on momen.
tous occasions.
The Ward McAllister of Chinatown is q
sleek pawubroker who docs business back
CT the Jackson Street tEeater. His dietum
is supreme colrt law on all social questions
within q radius Of six blocks of hia store,
and he naturally fell into the position OF
chief director OF tue nights festivities He
had been much sought after for several
days By aspiring merchants who desired to
sit as close as possible TO the plenipotenti-
nry, md every wire was pulled to further
such ambition Merchants who eau draw
their cheeky fer four flgurc1 approached
him under the delicate pretensc OF being
lRid pressed and soaked their silver
watches. He has done roaring trade for
several days, but his prosperity is at an end.
IL Is suspected that he taeitly allowed at
least 90 merchants to believe thnt he could
rub elbows with the plenipotentiary. Mat
tera reached such u crisis at Z o'clock that
there was nothing left for the Monaghan
Ward McAllistrr but to snub the whole
band Of ambitious guests and thusg get him
self out Of the frying pan, soto speak, by
jumping into the fire. 10 the unspeakahle
CONSERVATION OF the guests, the head Of tho
grand procession did not stop when it
reached the middle Of the spacious banquet
hall, all betlecked with berries and redo
lent OF burning sandal wood, odorlferous
puuksnnd delicious birds nest soup. which,
next to boiled e1ulinpwer and corn beef
and cabbage, IL the most fragrant of all
kitchen connections.
Eight straight ahead went tho plenipo-
teniiaiy, piloted by the Mongolian MoAl-
lister, and before the paralyzed merchants
could catch their breath the munster and
suit were ont OF sight in snug chamber nc
the farther end Of the banquet hall, where
all that could be seen of them was the oc-
casional hutter Of the plenipotentiary's fan
or glimpse Of diplomatic foo, stuck out
beyond the edge Of screen that hid it
from the vox popuii.
A distressing silence fell on the assem-
bied merchants, and dark and significant
scowls were turned on the Monaghan Ward
McAllister who, after ugherlng the plcni-
pOtentiary out OF sight. took a seat with a
couple Of athletic looking pork butchers in
distant corner Of the hall.
The menu, which comprised everything
in the markets of Chinatown, was dis
cussed with evident pleasure by the pleni.
potentiary and the diplomatic corps, for
occasionally bursts OF merrlment come
over the screen from their room, but the
motley crowd in the main hall had neither
eyes nor stomach for the feast. They
ehewed mechanically on their sharks fins
and went through the pretense of shoveling
rice and minoe duck with their chop sticks,
hat their appetites We're gone, and the only
thirst that afflicted them was thirst for
vengeance on the man who had Inundated
and betrayed them.
After feastlng for an hour and q half in
this sequestered nook the plenipotentlary
and suit reappeared, and bowling to the
mere hants, who kowtowed right and left
. strobe down stairs TO their carriages and
ratified oil 10 the Stookwell theater.
The Ward McAllister OF Chinatown lei
himself out Of the restaurant through q
I skylight. and at the latest accounts WA
awaiting the society reports Of the banquet
in The Spoilord Alley Gazette on the roof
OF Chinatown.-San Francisco Chronicle,
The Wrong Man.
Fl, First Citizen Dugout Cityl-ChRrgem
a