ENTERTAINING A GUEST.
At a party the hostess said to a guest, ' I want you to entertain Mr Blank a little ; he looks bored to death. I will introduce him, and you must try to amuse him. You know his strong point is butter, on which he has written a book.' Tho lady-guest graciously undertook the task of entertaining the man, inwardly wondering that he should be so much interested in butter —of which she knew very little —when his face indicated a mind given to much profound thinking. However, with butter in view, she began on the weather, gradually got to the country, then on to a farm, from that to cows, and at last to butter. The man looked more bored than ever, the magic word producing not the slightest effect, and he left her somewhat abruptly, and soon withdrew from the house. ' I did my best, , she explained to the hostess ; ' I went through agonies to prove that I was deeply interested in butter, but it was all in vain.' ' Butter,' exclaimed the hostess, ' What possessed you to talk to that man, of all men, on butter. I told you he had just written a book on Budha, and I knew how deeply you were interested in the same subject.' And they said in chorus, ' Gracious !'
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Bibliographic details
Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3246, 25 November 1881, Page 4
Word Count
219ENTERTAINING A GUEST. Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3246, 25 November 1881, Page 4
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