The Bachelor Banquet.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 74

The Bachelor Banquet.

Edith (yawning) : Oh, dear ! Nothing but bills ! Good heavens ! How fearfully expensive Madame Ccoile is .' She gets worse every day ! (Taking up another envelope.) Hullo! What's this? (Reads: "My dear Dick ") Why, this is not for me at all ! (Glancing at the signature.) Oil ! it's from that horrid man Jack Frost. I really must see what he's got to say to Dick. (Reads again) : My Dear Dick, — You can't think how much we have missed you from, our jolly bachelor evenings and I am writing to suggest thai as you have now ueen married six months it is quite- time for you to take an evening off, and come and see 3 r our old pals-, and revive the happy

memories of tiie jolly old days. (Viciously, aside) : I never did like that Mr Frost, though he was Dick's best man at our wedding ! Now, let's see- what else he has got to say. (Reading) : Make an excuse- to get off next Friday evening, and come and join us in a jolly little supper here at my flat. Some of the Frivolity girls are coming in, and we are going to have a real bachelor banquGt. Do oom>e, old chap. — Yours ever, Jack Fkost. Well ! of all the horrid brutes I ever heard of ! I shall take this letter straight, to Dick, and tell him I have opened it by mistake. (Looking at it again.) No, I won't, though. The envelope isn't torn. I'll just put it back and stick it ur>. and see whether Dick says Unything about it. (Puts the letter back in the envelope, and carefully sticks it up.)

(The samo scene on Friday evening.)

Edith : I can't understand how it is that Dick has not said a single word about that letter from Jack Frost. Surely he can't be intending to go. Oh ! but that's quit© impossible !

(Enter Dick.)

Dick: I am afraid, dear, that I shan't be in this evening, as I am going to the club to-night.

Edith, (dismayed) : Oh, Dick I And after being kept so late at the office last night ! Surely you are not going to leave me all alono again this evening !

Dick (cheerfultv) : Of course not, if yoti are really keen on my staying 1 , little woman. I don't care twopenoe about going to the club to-night, if you would rather I stayed afc home.

Kclith (with a sigh of relief) : Dick, you are a darling ! (Aside) : Then he must have refused Jack Frost\s invitation, after all.

(Edith at once becomes radiant, and proceeds to make herself as fascinating as possible, in order to atone for her unjust suspicions of her husband, who comes to the conclusion that she has never been so charming before.)

Next morning Dick encounters Mr Jack Frost in the city.

Frost (briskly) : "Hullo, old man ! I hope you got back all right after our little supper on ThursJay night. I saw you were getting on rippingly with -hat pretty little Frivolity girl, Cissie Elliot, so I didn't worry about you any more." Dick (heartily) : "Thanks, awfully, old man. Yes, I had no end of a time, and enjoyed myself immensely. By the way, it was a bit of luck that you changed the evening at the last moment fiom Friday to Thursday, as last nighi for some mysterious reason my wifo teemed partiei larly keen o - i my company, and wouldn't let me go out at any price. So long !"