Gilpin observer., 1909-10-28
The VaCuouSly
VivaCiOuS Gibbs
By MA RIO HILL
Copyright, by ]. B. Lippincott Coz

w Ueu Oue Is III llle 1lUuS uOuSc II
is no unusual thing to hear a CONVEX
sation like this:
Belle, will you bring the canny-
blobs, Seetie?"
"Why. ep! Where iddy, Moms?"
"In the agony-corner of the blue
beard, sink-I-dunno."
Jaw yight."
These are grown people talking.
Belle goes off, looks vainly in cup
board. goes further, and comes back
with a plate of candy in her hands
and smile of surprised triumph on
her face, as she cries:
at was not in the blue-beard at all;
it was in the hunny-bunny box"
why, who puddy canny-blobs in
unny-bunny-box?"
"Pcekalorums did Nanky bad Peek
alorums!"
Then the assembled Gibbs go off
into fits of helpless laughter. The
joke is evidently excellent, but to the
outsider the point has to be explained
before he can in the least see it, and
even then, to his poor, unframed
taste. it is apt to lack particular sharp
ness The Gibbs have a language all
their own. 1t is a compound of old
puns, remnants of baby-talk and allu-
sions to family affairs which has been
adjudged funny in their time. To the
Gibbs each word is funny STILL though
to the uninitiated all is the veriest
jargon of bosh. I'VE talk Gibberish." B"
says Belle, with scream of laughter.
Then all the others lop over and
cackle.
They are people very socially in
clined and they fairly drag visitors
into their home. But it is very tire
some place to spend an evening. For
one thing, the Gibbs have no conver-
sation, though they pride themselves
particularly upon that very accom-
plishment; but the women merely
banter and the men can only argue.
Bantering is pricking conversation to
death with pins and arguing is knock
ing it senseless with a club. When
the Gibbs find that conversation lags.
they charitably impute the fault to
the visitors stupidity in that direc-
tion and very kindly begin to play
games. 1t is an awful house for games.
If you don't play cards they look as
toundedly at you, as if you were an
anomaly-a three-legged chicken, or a
double-headed calf-but they are
prompt to suggest other games. all
supposed to be intellectual. For in
stance, have you ever played "BuZz'
at the Gibbs? If enough of you are
there, you are set to counting, and
you are warned that three is buzz"
So you begin, "One, two. buzz, four.
five." and all goes safely till "thir-
teen" is called, when with delighted
shrek a Glib points out to the vic
tim that he should have said "buzz-
teen" so he is singled out to pay a
forfeit, and the counting continues. At
the thirties it becomes a veritable in
tellectual orgy-buzzty-one. buzzty-
two, buzzty-buzZ, buzzty-four, and you
wonder why you were born, or, hav.
ingsbeen born, why you ever called on
the Gibbs, knowing them as you do.
On the occasion when you absolute
ly refuse to buzz you are sent out OF
the room and have to do something
psychic or other when you come back.
either divine which book in the book
case has been taken out and replaced
in your absence, or gather in 20 ques-
tions that the assembly had agreed to
put their thoughts upon a fly on the
fingernail on the little finger of the
left hand of Rossetti's Blessed Damo-
sci. To prove their intellectually,
the Gibbs are ever playing the fool.
They are palmists, and If you are a
man they will hold your hand for a
quarter of an hour (the girls Will and
reel OF for you character reading
relating very much to your heart and
affections and soul and that sort Of
thing. They are artists. too; that is,
they will turn out the gas, bring In a
candle and (sitting very close) will
cut shadow pictures of you in profile
out Of brown paper. These pictures
are mostly nose. The things are
pinned up in the parlor and stay there
-hy.roosts-for month upon month.
The Gibbs have one custom not
wholly uncommendable: they have
supper for you about 10 o'clock; but
even then they spoil 1t by making you
do puzzles on the table-cloth with
toothpicks. Is there any hope for
people who play tricks with tooth.
picks? The Gibbs think It delight.
full touch of Bohemian brilliance to
insist that you give or guess a conun.
drum before you can take bite.
After they are refreshed by a meal,
~
point of virulence and they set you to
saying Peggy Babcock" very quickly
six times in succession-the crisis of
which Is reached. and reach swiftly.
when you say "Pebby Bagcock."
Then each Glib puts its head down
among the crumbs in helpless fit OF
laughter. And not one has taken n
drop Of anything to drink stronger