Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-19
QUICK LUNCH RECORD
Queer Combinations Picked
Some of the Eaters.

Some of the Eaters.
The manager Of the quick lunch
palace shuddered, although thSsf4ti
was hot, and bestowed gaze of Nh:
gled wonder and reproach upcl 81
broad back of the man who hadN -
picked up number of dishes OF food
from the counter and was @eavilit
lis way through the crowd with them
skillfully balanced in two hands Ike
u vaudeville juggler picking his way
across a stage filed with tossed-up
paraphernalia, according to the Wash
irgton Star.
Say" hoarsely inquired. the mana
ger, die see what that man took
with him to eat?" <.
The man to whom the question was
addressed had not noticed.
IA bowl Of milk. dish Of sliced GU
cumbers, two deviled crabs and a
piece of rhubarb pie" groaned the
manager, feeling tentatively OF the
fourth button Of his waistcoat.
"Just try and figure that out" lie
went on. How would you like to try
a combination like that-milk, cucum-
5bers, crabs and pie? When that mau
first came in here-it was during the
first bad hot spell OF the summer-and
selected that assortment of dainties, /
passed him my Montmerency smile.
".BetT said I.
"He looked me over without q
blink.
.Heyr said he.
."You bet the man, suppose said
1, that you could beat him over the
links by two and three to play md
you didn't make goodi'
He rested his crabs and cucumbers
and his bowl OF milk and his pie on
the counter and looked me over.
".Say, what's the matterr be final
~ asked me, with mystified look.
'Then \ told him how weird that
combination of his looked.
".Oh, that's it, is III? said he, sm.!,
ing. Don't you let little thing like
that bother you. Y'ought to'ye seen
my grandfather. He used to smoke a
clay pipe and eat buttered gingerbread
and green apples at the same time
and whistle .Old Zip Coon without
missing a note and he walked over
TO his seat and began his dainty
luncheon.
Il kept an eye on him, neverthe-
less, and looked up the telephone mum
Der Of the nearest ambulance hospital.
But he just went right ahead us he's
doing now.
while was still studying hlm-I
could not keep my eyes on of HIM
he walked up to the counter and sc,
lected piece OF cold mlnce PIE and
u. tall glass of iced te:, to top off with.
He's been back every week day
since. md that's about his regular
monday ration. He'c got to be one Of
my show pieces. He's figure A In the
exhibition.
But there are others. See thai
little man over yonder with the white
slders and the pink cheeks-the one
off there in the corner? What do you
suppose his regular winter and sum.
ner high noon refectory Is. and nus
been for years past? A plate OF bread
and butter, two large dill pickles and
cup Of cocoa. Every weekday OF
the year that old boy with the white
things at the sides of his countenancc
commits that kind OF an assault and
battery on his diaphragm, and, say,
just look at u-cheeks pink and
healthy, eyes as clear as filtered vel;
water, and more hair on the top OF
Ills head than I've got, although he's
10, II he's a day.
"He told me the other day that he
hadn't had sick minute In sixteen
years. That, by the way, is how 1t l.
with most of the cormorants. The
tougher the kind Of conglomerations
they habitualiy get away with til.
healthier they look. But they're prob.
ably born that way, And as a matter
OF fact, the majority of the men who
come in here for lunch seem to just
try to zIoop-the loop with their di
Festive apparatus"