A DEEP GAME BY COMEDIANS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2412, 9 December 1880, Page 4

A DEEP GAME BY COMEDIANS.

The following rather comical story is told of the two comedians Sothern and Florence :—“The pair dropped into a New York coffee-house, and observing that a couple of chess-players had abandoned a game as drawn and left the room, they sat down at the deserted table and gazed at the board. In a short time it was whispered around that the two famous actors wore playing a game of chess, and the table at which they sat was speedily surrounded by interested spectators. Ten minutes rolled by without a move being made, though both gentlemen seemed to be deeply absorbed in the game. Florence assumed a look betokening great'mental effort. His hand clutched his forehead with a violent pressure, and his corrugated brow showed how fierce was the mental struggle within. Sothern, too, put on a puzzled look as if Dundreary was suffering from a wilted cucumber diet. The spectators waited patiently for half an hour for a move, but finally one who had fidgeted round and looked at his watch a dozen times in ten minutes timidly asked ‘ Whose move, please ?’ At this interruption Florence scowled, and Sothern looked up with a countenance stupidly grave and remarked, ‘ Oh ! we do not play chess ; never learned the moves.’ And each one of the deeplyinterested spectators,upon this announcement, had business that called him hurriedly away ; and the faces of the sedate jokers speedily relaxed into smiles as the} 1, agreed to move up to the bar. The game was well played, and the pair evenly matched. —“ Hartford Times.”