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Show I THE MATE AT CROUCH. aj v , I ) try ef Dtan ?, Tot by tho Mm Wis Att As arafue Stalk. H Perhaps Ui greatest grouch ot lit- erature waa Ixn Swift, that whlmsl-H whlmsl-H eal mlsathrop. vho evinced mor- bid delight la aw lllatlng his social H Inferiors, becauao he himself, when' "B young, had been outrageously affront- H. ed by 1ils. superiors, fl Swift had acted as private secre-tary secre-tary to Sir William Temple. Once, when Sir William was cdnfined to his bed with, gout, the king. William III., visited him, and Swift officiated as his majesty's guide through the gardens' of Moor Park. The king taught the secretary how to cut asparagus in tho Dutch way, and. 8wlft had also the felicity of seeing' him eat tho vegetable. vege-table. Yebrs afterward, when Swift was dean ot St Patrick's cathedral In Dublin, his publisher, Faulkner, called at the deanery on business connected with some proofsheets. Having been detained until near dinner time, he was pressed by the dean to dine with him." Asparagus was one of the vege tables, and the guest asked for a second sec-ond helping. "Sir," snapped Swift, pointing to Faulkner's plate, 'first finish what you have upon, your plate!" "What, sir? Eat the stalks?" asked the astonished publisher. "Aye, sir; eat the stalks, or you'll "hate no morel King William alwaya ate his stalks," added the dean In his most Imperious manner. Whereupon' the meek Faulkner, yielding to the dean'a will, ate the talks moat aubmlsslVely. Shortly after the dean's death, Faulkner waa relating the incident aa an illustration of Swift's Insolence. . "And you were silly enough to obey him?" asked some one. "Yes," replied Faulkner, "and let me add, sir, that it you had dined with Dean Swift, you would havo eaten eat-en your stalks, too." |