The Cairo bulletin., 1912-02-08
HOME LIFE Of :
Dickens. WAS
PLEASANT ONE
Last Survivor If cosssie Of Famous
English Writer Tells Of His
Home Life
Concluded From Wednesday. ]

lisI country house. Miss Gcorgina
Fiogarth. his sister-in-law was his
housekeeper He had an excellent
chef The dinners were very elab.
crate. with seven courses and n diff
fcrcnt wine with each course. Az
most every day there were dlstin-
guished guests coming from all parts
Of the world and often the entire
conversation was In French, which
Dickens spoke as fluently as his
friend .Fechter, Choosing the wines
for the dinner was an afternoon
festival Gated astridc a barrel. in
the cool cellar carved from the
chalk rock, Dickenstold good story
with every bottle selected and fairly
revelled In boyish humor. The In
tense vitality OF his novels glowed
through his personality.
After dinner the guests were In
vited to taste the bowl of cold punch
that Miss Hogarth had prepared In
the center hall Then there .was
whist or billiards, which Dickens
turned into comedy by constantly
comic commentary upon the play
and players. lie grumbIed to him
self, We'll! Bad players always
| win." or, at is very easy to play
when one holds all the trumps.'
"On my first visit he remarked
| airily, II suppose that the aristocrat-
ic custom OF leaving all the win
Aings on the table for the servants
has been adopted in American
Don't mind him." Miss Hogarth
interposcd: che is always like that!''
The housekeeping at Gad's Hill
was managed so perfectly that, ex-
cept at dinner, | never saw a ser
want there. Miss Hogarth. as me-
thodieal as Dickens himself, seemed
to do everything.
In London, one morning. re-
eeiyed the following note:
Shipmate ahoy! How am | to en-
terrain an American who neither
eats, drinks, smokes, chews nor
swears? Please to man the lifeboat
and come at once. G.. d.
Arriving at Gad's Hill, | found
Mr. George Washington Childs, of
Philadelphia, beaming with content
ment and requiring no other amuse-
ment that the pleasure of being
with Dickens. AT dinner Mr.. Childs
ate little and drank nothing but
water, and Dickens sslyly pretended
to shudder with horror every time
his own glass was filled. Persistine
that Mr.. Childs must be amused, Mr.
Dickens asked him to play a game
OF billiards. Mr.. Childs did not play
billiards, and Dickens proposed "a
grand international pool tourna-
ment," his son Charles representing
England. With much argument
| Custom of the country, and so or
and much persuasion, Mr.. Childs
was induced to back me as the
American champion for half 9
crown (sixty centsl, and was ap.
pointed umpire as soon as he de.
elarcd that he knew nothing about
| the GANG. Dickens was marker, and
shouted after every break, Two fol-
the American eagle! Fluke!,' Three
for the British lion! Hooray!"
BY good work the American eagle
won. The clock struck ten, and Mr.
Childs said that he always went t
bed at ten o'clock. So Dickens, with
a low bow and countenance ex.
pressing the deepest sorrow and de.
spair, handed him the two hall
crowns. 1t was all like scene from
l""Pickwick,.. VI and, oas the door, closet
| upon Mr.. Childs, we continued The
similarity by holding hands and
dancing around the table.
| Presently the door opened and
Mr.. chiids reappearcd with his bed
room candle and the two hall
crowns, Ina speech, that was SO sin,
cere as to be dignifed, he said thai
he never before had been guilty Of
L
gambling; that, when he attempted
/ TO say his prayers, the two hall
crowns weighed upon his mind and
interferred with his devotions; he
must ask Mr.. Dickens to take BACH
| the money q. an,
| u pifkeps regarded Mr. Guilds very
gravely. Was this a Joke or Toe
sensitive conscience? Then he ex-
planned Mt great length that the Gus
toms of England did not permit HIN
to take back the half crowns, but
that he would consent to wager
| double or quits until-the British lion
had won. Mr.. Childs agreed to this
under protest, and, Dickens gave "
an. sapdacious wink, which meant
Put five shillings on his con
science!"
| Young Charles tried his best Y
/. . I. -.