Cutting Out the Frills.

One of the section crew of a western railroad in U.S.A. chanced to pick up a dining car menu card, and, seeing at the top “Table d'hote,” turned to his pal and inquired:

“What does this ‘ere mean, Joe?”

“Well,” said Joe, “it's like this 'ere. Them swells in the diners have some soup, a bit of fish, a bit of this, a bit of that, and a bit of summat else, and call it ‘table dottie.’ We have ‘table dottie,’ only we mixes it all together and calls it stew.”

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