Evening star., 1914-01-31
Dropped the Pudding.

English historian. was that pudding
dropped Alas the sad day, In the room
sat an eNpectant, hungry army OF NIFTY
men. The waiter bearing in triumph the
pudding. appeared smiling on the scene
His foot slipped he tripped. the pudding
wavered. and then bowled along the floor
breaking mp and gathering sawdust as Il
went. There was a breathless silence.
The proprietor dropped the upraised
carver. stood speechess for a moment
The occasion was too much for him. one
after another the awed and hungry crowd
put on their hats and departed. with sor-
rowful faces and watering mouths
Now we've had our pudding and cheese
and have a half hour for literary rumina-
ton before the descent into the nlaelstrom
on the way to the booking office. The to-
bacco is sweet and cool. and the smoke
rings are whisked ceilingward as they
float into the quivering flame of the can
been touched into life. There is loud
talking. laughter from those Americans
over there in that green baize-curtained
box. such one as Mr.. Pickwicll was
always dropping into under the suid-
ance of Sam, and occasionally a stave of
a song.
The sawdust is iying from under ihe
walters feet: "Puddin', sir? Yes. sir.
Thank you. sir. Steak. sir? Chop, sir?
Marrow bones, sir? Yes, sir; thank you,
II. .
sir?" And up the darksome stairs ;he
orders are called in code: 'Catherum
steak. Botherum foozium mash.' While
out in the tap sound imperious orders for
goes of cork and rack Polly
cracks her bill and interrogates al!
comers: "WeHo He's good for chop
Weu?'
We We're to spend a few moments con-
jurng up the literary past Oh. to close
ones eyes and see the SILK mats and
smalls. buckles and cooked hats. To hear
the sounds of the conViviaiitN of the Sood
fellows and the great ones of another
age. to hear their Who's for poonsh?"
and to penetrate the mystery of the spell
that is now heavy upon us. Who can
name the roll-call of the famous patrons
of the low. somber coffee-room of Old
Cheshire Cheese? Shakespeare. We are
assured. spent many an idle hour here
Eoltaire was certainly here. as We're Con-
greye, Sheridan, Bolingbroke. Pope, Gar
rick Goldsmith and Chatterton. While
many a time the great Samuel, turning
heavily in his accustomed seat and beset
by some pert sailing pinnace. brought like
galleon maneuverng his ponderous
artillery to bear.
profitable to inquire who hasn't clapped
mug on oaken table in Cheshire Cheese.
Charles II ate a chop here with Nell
Gwynne. Addison, Swift. Dickens, Thack-
cray. DOuSlaS JerTOlu- hdTh l-eliioii, ON
Taylor. Tom Hood have dined here. as
has well-nigh everybody else up to Adel-
inc Genee. F. Hoplsinson smith. Edward
Grey, II. II. Asquith and Theodore Roose-
welt. The autographs of all of the last
of these are now on exhibition in the
visitors book.
Time remains for but a brief eXamina-
ton of the monastic crypts in the cellar
Once swallowed up in the gloom of these
underfioor regions. we find We have en-
tered still another world. a world as
much older than the coffee room We have
just quilted as the latter is older than
the restaurants Of dav We are
roaming about in fifteenth century mon
astery of the Blackfriars, This part of
Cheshire Cheese Tavern escaped the raw
ages of the great fire of 1866, and re-
mains intact with its low. pondero,fs.
groined archways, its uneven stone flag
ging and wrought-iron grills- The eel
larman shows great oaken beam four
teen inches square in the ceiling. which
still bears the black scars of that awful
confiagration. Now. however. the Old
much space as the rooms above, are used
as wine-bins.
Cheshire Cheese Tavern, it must be final
~ confessed, is now an American institu-
ton Without the American patronage
which it enjoys. 1t could not exist. English
men seem not to appreciate or to enjoy this
rarest of Old London haunts. | had the
pleasure of taking my English friend,
who had worked almost next door to II
for four years and had never been in it,
there for a dinner. 1t is the proprietor
proud boast that even the parrot talks
with an American accent