New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-13
4 PLUMP HEAD WAITER
SUCCESSOR TO HIM OF WILL wArZp
PROOFS MONOLOGUE.

MS HECoLLECTIOys OF FAMOUS MEN Ar 4
FAMOUS TAVERN
The head waiter at THE Cock" has ress,,.l
his place and retired from the wel-done duties a.
twenty years. True. he not The head waltz,
the plump head waiter, apostrophized into immor.
tality by VIII Waterproof. But he the actusI
successor Of that worthy man, and fitting sue
cessor too endowed with the self-same genial
qualities commended by the Laureate. HE look.
not" observed VIII Waterproof, like the common
breed That with the napkin daily; / think h
came like Ganymede, From some delightful val.
lev" The name of the delightful valley, alas! is.
Briyton, Nevertheless he good walter:
as good no doubt. in his way, Ganymede himself
And now that his successor, Paul has retired I'll
Fleet-st is disconsolate, lamenting that the old
Mace is not what it used to be.
But then, IL Is not the old place at all. Tho
original Cock" tavern, of which Tennyson wrota
dated from the time OF James the Second; but
was pulled down when Temple Bar was removed
The present Cock is on the other side Of Fleet.
ST. lust opposite the old site. And the character
of its patronage has also changed somewhat
though Il IL still the resort OF many men OF letters
and journalists In this new tavern. Paul, The
late head waiter held sway on the first floor, where
saws a writer in THE Westminster Gazette" de-
snising the meretricous comforts and adornmens %
an effeminate age, he did the honors In room
whose furniture and equipment carry one back at (
hound from the end the beginning OF the century.
Most of the fittings in this room were In point Of
fact Transported bodily from the old place over the
way Here are the antique boxes,
Iaded with the steam Of Thirty thousand DINERS.
which did duty for many generations; the
ancient carved fireplace; the uncompromising
wooden benches the rusty curtains, the sawdusted
floor. the willow pattern plates-in short all the
signs and evidences Of bygone age. And over
all Paul was undisputed monarch, though surely
there never reigned a more popular despot how.
ever busy he might be- however thick might be the
press Of orders and demands, PAU always had
time for a CHEEKY word with his customers-a Jokp
with this one a piece of for another, greet.
ing for a third. And all his customers in turn had
a word for Paul
The other day Paul narrated something OF hb
history He was at the old Cock more than
twenty years ago. and OF course, was on iamiiS
terms with all its famous habtues Tennyson him.
SELF who was before his day. he never saw out Ar.
Hallam Tennyson he remembers well. while ne has
a bookfuI of newspaper clippings about the poet
which he has collected from various sources Inc
late Professor Fawcett he recollects as one OF
his most genial customers 1t was his practice
for many years to carry about with MIN MS own
salt and pepper. but ultimately PAU cureo MIN
Of this bad habit, and he relied entirey thence'
forward on the resources OF THE Cock When
settling his reckoning he never failed TO remind
Paul that there was such an establishment as the
Postoffice Savings Bank in which spare cash might
be safely deposited. Swinburne, too, was con-
slant visitor in those days Another OF Paufs
favorte customers at the old establishment was
Henry Irving whom he remembers as a quiet, dark
gentleman who was very pleasant but said very
little Another actor whom he counts with pride
among his patrons Is Mr.. Corney Grain-tnougn
actors are by no means birds 10 one VINO
waited on their wants some twenty years at simp'
sons in the Strand.
Latterly Paul devoted all his energies to his
Fleet-st. charge. but in former days. with ex'
empary industry, he combined the two-attending
AZ THE Cock" in the daytime and repairing TO
the Strand establishment In the evening. IN uuth,
Paul has life in his time. Clearly, 100 ne was
Judge from the wonderful story which he tells OF
the gentleman on whom ne waited IoT ui ..S. ~
day. The Cock In the morning ana cp h,t
sons in the afternoon were natural enough oui
when II came 'Evanss" In the evening ana
Rosherve Gardens later stu IN me sn,ait ~ @
the thing certainly entered the domain OF tne mar.
veous and one can readily agree with Paul that
the annals OF waiterdom might be searched IN VAN
TO find a parallel No wonder the victim OF tne
anec,iote considered 1t more uncanny thah amusing
For the rest it is difficult to keep pace with Paul
and modern so to speak. who have sat under
him In the course OF his career Lord hanhes
irreyerently dubs the Attorney GeneraD. the late
Mr. Montagu Williams. Mr.; Haldane-tnese. Arg
few OF the more distingnished lawyers %mTa
artistic patrons he dwells with pride on the names
OF Mr. Firth and Mr.. Nettleship. and recalls WIN
approval a likeness of himself done by his irenai,
Mr. Reginald Cleaver for THE Daily Graphic,
in which he is represented presiding in his ofnG4
capacity the cornwall deliberations OF the "
Johnson club In this connection by the way
Paul exhibits with especial satisfaction nne olo
punchbowl dating from the days OF the great poc &c
old Mr.. Colnett, the former proprietor OF ''fns
Cock"