TOOLE AND SOTHERN.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1172, 11 October 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

TOOLE AND SOTHERN.

By appointment Toole and Sothern i were to meet at a well known chop- ' house in the city. Toole arrived first, , and seeing a fine old crusted speci- j men of a city magnate, an alderman | and East Indian merchant rolled into one, pitching heartily into a steak, an impulse seized him. Going up to the stranger, he slapped him heartily on the back, and extending his hand, said, “Hullo! George, _my boy, how are you ? "What an age it is since I’ve seen anything of you. The old fel- ' low turned blue in the face, and when ! all danger of choking was over, he • commenced to angrily remonstrate, | when Toole graciously begged his par- I don, admitted that he had mistaken ‘ him for someone else, and, amid many j protestations of regret, he retired to a I seat near the door. Soon Sothern ar- | rived. “Do yon see that peppery old fellow oyer there ?’’ asked Toole, look-, ing in the direction of the man he ; had just played his joke upon, and who was now once more working away with his knife and fork. “Isn’t he just the sort of chap you would feci inclined to slap on the back and say, ‘Hullo! George, how dye do?’” “By Jove,” replied Sothern, “ I’ll do it.” “No, no; don’t, for Heavens sake!" urged Toole, who knew that the more he dissuaded the more determined Dundreary would be to carrv out his purpose. “ I’ll do it at once,’ j and across the room he goes to where i the victim eat. He had just popped | a tremendous piece of steak into his mouth, when down comes Sothern’s hand ou his back, with “Well, George, my boy, who the dickens thought of seeing you? ITow are you ?” “Wai .— wa j—waiter I” screamed the old gentleman. “ I'm afraid I’ve made a mistake. I beg a thousand pardons, sir.” "No, it's no mistake; waiter, I’ve been insulted and assaulted. Twice within ten minutes I’ve been thumped on the back and called ’George!' No, sir, it's no mistake; it's a conspiracy to assault. Waiter, I must ask you to remove this person.” The facts of the case dawned upon Sothern as ho stood there offering vain apologies. He looked round for Toole, but his brother comedian had slipped out of the door, and was cracking his sides with laughter in the street.