The Project Gutenberg EBook of Punch Among the Planets, by Various
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Title: Punch Among the Planets
Author: Various
Release Date: August 21, 2004 [EBook #13244]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PUNCH AMONG THE PLANETS ***
Produced by Malcolm Farmer, William Flis, and the Online Distributed
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PUNCH,
OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
Christmas Number 1890.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Punch Among the Planets]
CHRISTMAS NUMBER 1890.
* * * * *
INTRODUCTION.
The Old Year was fast nearing its close, the night was clear and
starry, and Father Time, from the top of his observatory tower, was
taking a last look round.
To him entered, unannounced save by the staccato yap of the faithful
_Tobias_, Time's unfailing friend, unerring Mentor, and immortal
contemporary, _Mr. Punch_.
"_I_ am not for an age, but for All Time," freely quoted the Swan's
sole parallel. "And very much at Time's service," he added, throwing
open his fur-lined "Immensikoff," and lighting a cigar at the
Scythe-bearer's lantern.
[Illustration: Punch Among the Planets]
"Happy to meet you once more, _Mr. Punch_," responded old Edax Rerum,
turning from what the poet calls his 'Optic Tube' to welcome his
sprightly visitor. "Awfully good of you to turn up just now. Like
True THOMAS's _Teufelsdroeckh_, 'I am alone with the Stars,' and was
beginning to feel just a little bit lonely."
"With the Voces Stellarum to keep you company? You surprise me,"
said _Mr. Punch_. "But what is all this?" he added, pointing with
accustomed eye to a pile of MS. at TIME's elbow.
If so old a stager as Father TIME _can_ blush, he certainly did so on
this occasion.
"Fact is, _Mr. Punch_," he rejoined, "I, like younger and shall I
say lesser Celebrities, have been writing my 'Reminiscences.' Ha ha!
_The Chronicles of Chronos_ in 6,000 volumes or so--up to now. This
is a small portion of my _Magnum Opus_. Can you recommend me to a
publisher?"
"Ask my friend Archdeacon FARRAR," responded the Sage, drily. "What
a work! And what a sensation! TALLEYRAND'
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