1933 The Bon Vivant's Companion by George A Zabriskie

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The Bon 'Vivant's Companion

High Street where he lived and died, there remains now, in the possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, that delightful punch-keg that rolled so easily from guest to guest, and which carried the liquor so generously around Franklin's board. A curious little keg this, pretty, portly, and altogether unlike other punch bowls left us from Colonial days. Among the china was a fine large jug for beer, to stand in the cooler. Franklin's wife was frugal, and it pleased him to set aside her customary frugality on the blithesome occasions when the punch- keg went rolling round. Webster was majestic in his consumption of liquor as in everything else. Parton in his Essay speaks of seeing Webster at a public dinner, "with a bottle of Madeira under his yellow waistcoat, and looking like Jove." Josiah Quincy describes Webster's grief at the burn ing of his house because of the loss ofhalf a pipe ofMa deira. It is said that Webster went fishing the day before hewas to deliverhiswelcome to Lafayette, and got drunk. As he saton the bank, he suddenly drew from the water a large fish, and in his majestic voice said: "Welcome, illustrious stranger, to our shores." The next day his friends who went fishing with him were eledrified to hear him begin his speech to Lafayette with the same words. "Daniel IVebSler

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