A DIME SUPPER.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2159, 19 February 1880, Page 3

A DIME SUPPER.

They had a dime supper in the neighborhood of Pawtucket, conceived and carried out by the ladies. The conditions of this novel supper were these : For every word spoken by the gentlemen at the supper table, a forfeit of ten cents was imposed: but, on the other baud (as the duties arc always compensated with rights and restrictions with privileges), it was agreed that whoever could weather the whole supper, submiting to all queries, surprises and ingenious questions, should be entitled to it gratuitously. Many and frequent were the artifices and subterfuges resorted to b}’ the ladies in attendance to entrap the unguarded and one after another stout and discreet man went down before the constant artful interrogations. At last all fell out and paid the dime penally save one individual —a queer chap, whom no one seemed to know. He attended strictly to business, and passed unheeded the jokes, jibes, and challenges. They quizzed him : but in vain. He wrestled with the turkey and grappled with the goose. He bailed out the cranberry sauce with an unswerving hand, and he ate the celery as the scriptural vegetarian ate. grass ; and finally, U'heu he he finished his fifth piece of pie, he whipped out a pockct-slale, wiped it with his napkin, and wrote on it in a large and legible hand, “ I am deaf and dumb.”