Your turn, Mr. Henry.
Why, thank you Mr. Washington.
Can you picture them? Lawmakers after a day of heated discussion re-convene informally at the tavern for a pint of ale and a friendly game of billards.
I suppose the evening could be likened to a male-only cocktail party. After all, the tavern’s common rooms had other guests. A traveler or two with news from an outlying settlement. A local resident with opinions. Do you suppose aides to the Royal Governor mixed with the colonial lawmakers?
Fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois in the mid-19th century included taverns. The one of First Street was frequented by the Deutsch community and did not have a billiards table. The patrons played card games and sang along with the occasional musicians while they ate stew, drank beer, and exchanged news. Check out the sweet romance, New Dreams, for a story through immigrant eyes. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE
