FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



which agriculturists of those parts most delighted 

 to crown a night's festivity was nothing more nor 

 less than lemonade and gin. The intervals be- 

 tween toast and song were filled up with mono- 

 tonous iteration by calls for this seductive liquor, 

 which not only possessed the power of bidding 

 dull care begone, but also seemed to have the 

 effect attributed to the waters of Lethe of steeping 

 the mind in forgetfulness. This may, perhaps, 

 account for the fact that I had to listen to three 

 separate and distinct renderings of " The English- 

 man," the full-bodied chorus of which seemed to 

 be endowed with additional strength and vitality 

 upon each repetition. Every man at that festive 

 board had, in country parlance, got his sitting- 

 breeches on, and seemed determined, if possible, 

 to wear them out that night. Unhappily, there 

 was no Licensing Act or Defence of the Eealm 

 Regulations in those far-off days to curtail the 

 proceedings. But even the longest day or night 

 must come to an end at last, though day had 

 dawned before the last note of the last song had 

 died upon the air and the last lemonade and gin 

 had been quaffed. By that time my many tossings 

 and turnings had brought my nerves to such a 

 condition of wakefulness that any attempt at 

 repose was out of the question ; so I made the 

 best of a bad job and got up. 



The evening's diversion bore the morning's 

 reflection very well in the case of the revellers, 

 who all turned up in good time, and as they put 

 it as " fresh as paint," and with not so much as 

 a single trace of ill-effects from the divers liquors, 

 including the many toppers, they had disposed 



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