[Ads-l] Who was that lady I saw you with last night?

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

It looks like Peter found the citation shortly after I did and clipped it:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13814243/cincinnati_daily_press/

Garson

On Sun, Sep 17, 2017 at 8:55 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> Date: December 13, 1859
> Newspaper: Cincinnati Daily Press
> Newspaper Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
> Quote Page 4, Column 2
>
> [Begin article; double check for errors]
> A German's Idea of his Spouse.
>
> In the Ninth Ward, New York, lives
> an eccentric butcher, by name, Herr
> Vonsclup. He keeps a little meat store and
> often amuses his customers with his
> curious comments on matters and things
> in general. His wife is a patient, hard
> working woman, willing to turn her hand
> to anything to gratify him. When her
> husband goes out she attends the store,
> and can slice off a steak or carve a roast
> as well as her husband.
>
> Mr. Brown is a regular customer of
> Butcher Vonsclup. He is a cash customer,
> and has an abhorrence of accounts.
> One day when Brown purchased a roast
> he was short of change just fire cents.
> Mrs. Vonsclup served him and he said to
> her"
>
> "I will take the meat home and return
> instantly with the five cents. Don't mark
> it down."
>
> "Dat bees all right, Meister Brown,"
> replied the Butcher's wife.
>
> Brown hurried home. During his absence
> the butcher returned, and his wife
> returned to the house. Presently Brown
> came back and hurriedly approaching
> the butcher said:
>
> "Here is the five cents I owe you," at
> the same time handing out the coin.
> "Not?" asked the astonished Vonsclup.
> "I owe you five cents and here it is."
> "You makes mistakes, Mister Brown, I
> never trust you mit notin," replied the
> butcher."
> "No, no, I owe it to you. Since you
> have been gone I bought some meat of
> the lady and did not have enough to pay
> her by five cents, and—
>
> "Lady! You puy meat of a lady in
> mine shop! Vat in ter tuvel do you mean
> by dat-eh?"
>
> "Are you crazy, man? I mean I
> purchased a roast of the woman who attends
> here when you are absent."
>
> "Der Voman vot sells meat here?"
> "Yes."
> "Mein Cot, vat you means den? She
> bees no lady, she ish my wife.",
> "You are an infernal fool!" replied
> Brown, throwing the five-cent piece at the
> butcber and leaving in disgust.
> "You bees anuder fool Meister Brown,
> to take mine frow for a lady. Ha! ha!
> dat bees a good choke!"
> [End article]
>
> Garsion
>
> On Sun, Sep 17, 2017 at 12:04 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Interesting topic, Arnold. I located a version of the joke in December
>> 1859. The setup of the joke is rather long and complicated. I will
>> post it tomorrow unless someone shares an earlier instance.
>> Garson
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Sep 16, 2017 at 1:42 PM, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at stanford.edu> wrote:
>>> ... no lady: wife
>>>
>>> on the old joke, on my blog:
>>>
>>> https://arnoldzwicky.org/2017/09/16/the-nlw-punchline/
>>>
>>> quote detective needed...
>>>
>>> arnold
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org