Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1886 — Dickens’ Diner and Drinker, Dolby. [ARTICLE]

Dickens’ Diner and Drinker, Dolby.

Charles Dickens was entirely alive to the profuse hospitality of the Americans, as this incident will indicate. Some years ago, when he came here to read, he brought with him a strong, vigorous, able-bodied compatriot named Dolby. Dolby had been in my employ, and I was by no means struck with his capacity, and I heard to my surprise that Mr. Dickens had engaged him at a large salary. On the return of the great novelist to England I said to him : congratulate you, sir, on your great financial and artistic suocess ip the States, but I can’t imagine what you wanted with Dolby.” “My dear sir,” replied he, “that man was simply a treasure. He possessed unlimited capacity for eating and drinking, and had noble digestive powers. When anybody called on me and suggested a drink I gently deputed Dolby to do it for me. When I was asked out to_dmner and couldn't conveniently attend, Dolby turned up as my representative and occupied my place. He did most of my superflous eating and drinking, and so saved me a vast deal of exhaustive festivity. In ipoint of fact,” concluded Mr. Dickens, “I simply engaged Dolby’s stomach.” — Then I perfectly understood. I remembered that Dolby had a tine, wellseasoned British iron-clad interior, and reveled in what he was wont to call “a big greasv-chin dinner. ” Mr. Dickens looked all the better for his American trip. Shortly after this I met Dolby at a club, and he was relatively a wreck. The incessant gorging and cocktailing, whisky-souring, champagning, liquoring, and , other alcoholic frivolities had done their fell work, but Dolby still lives to protest that the Americans are the most hospitable people on the face of the earth. —Howard Paul.