ORIGIN OF THE NO NOSE CLUB.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1861, 18 February 1874, Page 3

ORIGIN OF THE NO NOSE CLUB.

Miss Sanborn tells us that an eccentric gentleman, having taken a fancy to see a large party of no3eles3 persons, invited every one thusafilicled, whom he met in the streets, to dine on a certain day at a tavern, where he formed them into a brotherhood! He ordered a- 'very plentiful dinner, and told the landlord who.were to be his guests, that he might be a little prepared for their appearance. No sooner f was 'the hand of Covent Garden dial upon the stroke of • the hour appointed than the np-nose comjmny began to drop in, asking for Mr' Crampton, which was the feigned name of their host, and succeeding one another so thickly that the waiter could scarcely show oiie up stairs before he had another to conduct. As the number increased, the surprise grew the greater among all that' were present, who' stared at one another with' 'unaccustomed Dashfulhess and confused oddness, as if every sinner beheld his own iniquities in the faces of his companions. However, seeing the cloth .laid in extraordinary order, <very one was curious, when once* entered, to attend the sequel. At length a rough old fellow exclaimed, " Well, friends, if by chance we should' fall together by the ears, how long might we all fight before we should have bloody noses ? " "By Jove," said another, " now you talk of noses, I have been looking tln'3 half-hour to find one in the company." " Gopdness be "praised !" said a third, " though we have no noses, we have every one a mouth — and that, by spreading of tho table, seefiis at present to be the most useful member." Wine was called for, and generously furnished, with the simple restriction of the forfeiture of- a quart if any one should presume to put his nose in the glass. This club met every "-month for a whole joyous year,, when its founder died, and the flat-faced community .were unhappily dissolved.