The Notorious Butler Briggs At Lady Marys Mayfair House
James Briggs a Cambridge trained butler applies for a single handed role for Lady Mary Ormondleigh. He navigates a dinner party with Geraldine Bagshaw and the Montrose affair, while disguising his identity until a police resolution offers him Hong Kong service and a chance with Geraldine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary Ormondlwigh
Mayfair
Mary
Debrett
Duke of
Barnstable
Geraldine
Spain
Queen Victoria
James Briggs
Milady
Briggs
James
Jimmy
Peter
Gertrude Johnny
Mark
Cambridge
Trinity
Rivor
Maidenhead
Millady
Mervin
Johnny Seul
Johnny
John
Lincolnshire
London
Paris
Gertrude
Montrose
John Briggs
Ger
Gartrule
Mindy
Mrs. Bonner
Mary Ormondleigh
Jamies Briggs
Payne
507
balGan Lour
Mr. Briggs
Clara
Hidden temptations strain a stubborn marriage vow
A speaker admits marital vows to avoid Geraldine’s influence but pledges surrender as a rod of temptation leads to complications in their relationship.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Geraldine
Miner Responds To Urgent Message At Work
A miner’s household awaited news after an urgent oral message was sent to the man to report immediately if anything happened. No message arrived by late afternoon, and returning home he learned more children had appeared at their house.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Diane King
Teasing tale of a small shopper and a noisy shopkeeper
A mother sends a child to a shabby shop for tea supplies. The shopkeeper snaps at the request and the child defends the mother saying the other goods were useless. A telephone ring prompts the child Archie to exclaim the caller knows his name. Allan laments his son’s violin lessons and a friend jokes about his son’s ears.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Altuated
Tex
Nere
Allan
Young Woman Golfer Dominates In Vents
A terse exchange during a round shows a young woman golfer in Vents gaining control as she challenges a rival in a tense match. The dialogue hints at a contested hole and disputed scores, underscoring her emerging lead.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vents
Mitch
Swimmers and Crocodiles Feature in Coastal Tale Mix
A Natal inspector invites farm school boys to swim at a lagoon where a crocodile had been sighted yesterday. The group jokes about bathing with an inspector as the peaceable outing turns into a string of humorous vignettes and rural misadventures.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Natal
South Africa
Two Rovers Plan Fatal Pact and Dawn Regret
Two rovers agreed to commit death by their own actions during the same hour last night. At dawn they rose an hour early to inspect the piper, their disappointment and fuel conduct by the other proving too deep to utter.
How to Swim a Drawn Room Tutorial for All
A humorous guide mocks old teaching methods and promotes home lessons in a drawing room. It jokes about breast stroke basics, diving misadventures, and odd exercises, ending with a wry note on swimming the Channel and future sea attire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dover
Calais
A Pair of Earrings and a Chalked Coffee Claim
A grocer and a milkman spar over a coffee cup mystery involving chalk and clay. A jokey dialogue follows about earning earrings and a misnamed fossil.
Outburst Over Poor Cutlet Sparks Restaurant Scene
A diner confronts a waiter calling the dish a mere cutlet insulting to all calves. The waiter apologizes, admitting he did not intend offense and restores his composure after the interruption.
A Good Lunch On A Perilous Sea Voyage
A seafaring tale ends with the captain ordering the ship to lay to and giving the traveler an eye as a keepsake. The tale describes a humorous sequence of improvised meals aboard a beleaguered vessel and the host of listeners reacting with laughter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hetener
Speeding Defendants Contest Accusation In Court
The defendants insist they were not speeding. They claim speeds of about twenty, fifteen, and ten miles per hour in crowded areas. A magistrate warns witnesses and orders a three guineas fine to stop the matter.
Stranger Intervenes at Irish Golf Club First Tee Meeting
A holidaying stranger at an Irish coastal club introduces himself on the first tee as a four man. The secretary, taken aback, asks the newcomer his role while an opponent steps forward, revealing a lighthearted encounter between players.
Recruit Questions Motives of Camp Pranks
A new recruit endures early camp practical jokes that leave him wary of others. On guard, a tall officer approaches and identifies as Major Moses. The recruit jokes about Moses and the Ten Commandments, signaling cultural humor in the exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Moses
In Vain at St Andrews an Aged Golfer Seeks Help
An elderly beginner at St Andrews struggles through a round with heavy clubs. After sinking into a bunker and failing with each club, he asks for guidance from his caddie. The caddie grimly suggests poison as a solution, a darkly comic moment in a difficult round.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Andrews
Itis
Lear
Not So Risky Card Cheat Is Thrown From Window
A young man accused of cheating at cards was forcibly expelled from a club by members who tossed him out a second floor window. He survived, complained to the secretary, who advised joining a club with ground floor cardrooms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jimmy
Misa Bagehaw—Briggs
Clara
Geraldine
Milady
Geraldina
Mins Bigshaw
Mins Bagshaw
Lady Mary
Bloc Society
Glee Society
Mary
Mrs. Hardicanute
Alice
East
Briggs
Mrs. Hardicannte
Otto Larson
Uve
Desort
Jim
Bainbridge
London
Mark
John Astley
Johnny
Old Man
Dean
Scotland Yard
Hoggenheimer
Old Haddin
Oldham Street
Lord John
Mrn
Timmy
Hong Kong
Olt
John
Agnes
Gaudy tennis star haunts street seeking taxi after club scene
A flamboyantly dressed tennis player eyes his wrist watch and the road for a taxi. A poor boy pushes a wheelbarrow past, and the player asks him to fetch a taxi. The youth retorts with a wary wink and suspects the rider may steal the barrow.
Why Tigers Are Striped Essay
A boy writes that a tiger is striped to help circus owners. He argues stripes help locate a tiger if it escapes and that people notice he is not a horse or a log, prompting calls to the circus about a lost tiger.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sonny Binks
Gallant fireman rescues woman then falls with humor
A fireman carries a woman from a blazing window to safety but slips on the ladder. He lands on the ground with the woman and is praised by a doctor who calls him brave. The fireman quips that he would have let the woman go first if he were a gentleman.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Patrick
Family mischance and witty fall lines
A playful scene opens with Jack dropping tapioca and calling it luck while his mother objects. A child asks about marriage legends as a swan becomes a duck, and a quip from a husband about a future death prompts a cautious reply from his wife.
The Six Jazz Kings and a Jest of Cottage Wit
A string of old time gags and puns mix in a rural humor page. Jokes cover musicians, a reed repair, a sewing machine, a child with a shot gun, hedge statues and a Venus of Medicine, a vegetarian restaurant, posthumous works, laundry, romance, a Pullman encounter, a doctor, a rich banker and a teenage wife, a Sunday school misfit, a vacuum cleaner, and a marriage proposal interrupted by a mistaken kiss from a late night ring.
Surprising Birthday Visit and Tiny Tales of Home
An elderly doctor is surprised by a patient on his birthday as his wife crafts a festive mood. A humorous sequence follows with Peter noting his father’s bald head as beachy waves, a boy debating a threepence shortfall in class, and a Londoner's rural misread about ploughing. Small domestic vignettes close with a joke about dinner left at home.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peter
Marcel
Daddy
Mummie
Tommy
Prisoner Declines Counsel In Serious Murder Case
The court heard a murder charge against a prisoner who, when asked if he wanted a defense counsel, answered no stating the matter was too serious. The judge noted the legal rights and proceeded with the hearing attended by many officials.
Pat’s Good Point Traced In Local Obituary Folklore
A fragmented reminiscence recalls Pat as a steady husband with a joking edge. Neighbors share a scene of a wife defending his character and routines, noting he would return every Saturday night with no pay envelope, while the absurdity highlights a comic principle of the marriage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat
Visitor trespasses in Devil's Glen humor tale
An American visitor ignoring signs enters the private side of Devil's Glen and meets a choleric proprietor. The man exclaims in disbelief, while the visitor quips about meeting the owner, turning trespass into a comic clash.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scott
Devil's Glen
Slow Cricket Test Brings Crowd to Boos and Warnings
The crowd grew bored as no runs were scored for twenty minutes while fielding frustrated bowlers held back. A misplayed ball at cover nearly produced a run before a warning from the stands urged care and scoring discipline.
Close Work and a Thousandth of an Inch
Bill lands a factory job without engineering knowledge and learns the work is extremely precise. On day two he jokes with a friend about measuring to a thousandth of an inch and the friend asks how many thousandths in an inch, Bill responds with millions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wilkins
Birkenhead
Bill
Joe
Accident sidelined by faulty machinery in Wish Register
The latest bulletin reports a person sustained injuries from a mishap described as a bite by an adder though likely a metaphor for a finger near machinery in the wish register. Medical updates show no change in condition.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Geir
Boy Asks Hunter How He Shot Tiger Flat
Tom and his father visit a renowned hunter. Tom sits on the tiger rug, interrupts the grownups with many questions, and the hunter explains the tiger hunt. Tom then studies the rug and asks how the tiger was shot so flat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom
Humorous Anecdotes From Everyday Life
A collection of short, light stories and quips about family quarrels social misreadings and domestic mishaps. Jokes range from a mother quoting a Bible verse to Edward and his sister May to a Scotswoman in a cafe and snippets about marriage and divorce with a playful punchline style.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edward
May
Also Mentioned on This Page
Charles 0
Leslie
Shaw
Tonnyson
Perlormants
Cook
Sarah Cooper
Nook
Bobby
Tradesman’s Boy
Montroses
Beauchamp
James Montrose
Ned Hoggenheimer
Lord John Astley
Johnnie
Bagshaw Irl
Bagshaw
Janes Monrose
Oxford
Miss Bagshaw
Jericho
Lady Mary's
Je Maurrier
Hullo
France
Mary Ormondietgl
Archie
Boi
Robert Magill
America
Charlie
His
Jack
Jacky
Richard
Owas
Walter
Tig
Miss Ruth
Ruth
Trish Doctor
Norrow
Jones
al Pliure
Liberty
Margaret
Miss Brown
Mr. Jones
Ming
Smith
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!