Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1885 — How Dickens was Euchred. [ARTICLE]

How Dickens was Euchred.

Charles Dickens was addicted to the habit of not enriching anybody with anything, unless he got full value for it, with a liberal bonus for his loss of time, and 50 per cent, profit on the original investment Queen Victoria is the only person, who can claim to have gotten ahead of him. In a moment of vanity, he allowed himself to be interviewed in 1876 by Her Britanic Majesty—John Brown having graciously given his consent, we suppose—and it is pleasing to note that she fairly euchred Mr. Boz at his own game. It will be remembered that the Queen, without any assistance from anybody, once perpetrated a book called her journal, which is described by the few who read it to be a horrible jumble of inanities, being in fact nothing but royal dishwater. Its principal readers are the inmates of English charity hospitals, to whose sufferings an additional pang is thus added. We think, however, that tho patient who was compelled to read the book would be most certain to recover—damages from an honest jury, for the sufferings he underwent. When Victoria interviewed Dickens, she graciously remarked, pre-‘ senting him with an entirely new copy of her journal, that she wpuld like very much to have a set of his works. Instead of Dickens asking her Majesty to shell out the usual pTice, he said it would afford him much bliss to make the swap, without asking anything to boot, but the sadness that came over his features justified the fear that he was suffering from a tooth with an exposed nerVe. He thougllt, no doubt, that she might, at least, have thrown in an Indian shawl, or a ducal coronet or so, for good weight. She inadvertantly forgot to do so; those princely gifts being only held out as lures to prospective sons-in-law, and as Dickens was not eligible, he got nothing except the journal in exchange for a set of works, which had a real market value. Whenever anybody obtains any advantages over Queen Victoria, the day will be marked by an extremely low temperature.—Texas. Siftings.