The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1843-05-05
10 Won stand bv the head of the table, and

do YOU stand by the head OF the table, and
whisper TO some gentlemen that wish a
vacant place at the head Of the table for
Judge Crane. and then do you hasten back
and see that John has cider and other IL
quors in good order, and Mary DO you fill
two more mreens with gravy, and put one
al each end of the long table. And Mar
tina do you see that all the clean plates for
change are ready, and that The tarts and
pies, &C., are in good order. Betty again
repaired to her post at the head of the
table, and softly informed the gentleman
of the request of her mistress. "Cerlain-
ly," says the gentleman and Betty has
tened back TO assist John. The gentle
men now sat down to an excellent repast,
after short eiaculatory address TO the
throne of Grace, by Judge Crane, in
which he adored the father of all mercies
for feeding all his creatures throughout
the immensely Of space-invoked bles-
sing on that portion of earthly bounty then
before them, and supplcated divine mer-
cy through the merits of our Redeemer
tho gentlemen began to carve and serve
round in usual form.
But as the Judge was Of singular turn in
almost every thing, and had taken fancy
tina, if person eats light food at the same
meal with that which is more solid and
harder of digestion, that the light food
should be eaten first, he therefore filled
his plate with some pudding, made of
milk, rice and eggs, and placing himself
in rather an awkward situation. with his
left elbow on the table, and his head near
the plate, began TO eat according TO his
common custom, which was very fast, al
though he was no great eater. And some
of the gentlamen near the Judge, following
his example as TO the partaking Of the
pudding before meat, of course large
deep vessel, which had contained that ar
tcle, was nearly empled when Mary APP
preached with her two additional tureens
of gravy, according 20 the command of
her mistress, and as she set down the last
near the Judge, he says to her, in an aus
tere manner, "gir bring me a clean plate
to eat some salad on" The abruptman-
ner in which he addressed her, and dis
gust in seeing him there in that position,
so Disconnected the poor gil, that she did
not observe that any one excepting the
Judge had. parlaken of the pudding, nor
did she know what he meant by salad;
but she observed that the large pudding
pan was nearly empty, and then fastened
back with the utmost speed TO her mist
ress, and addressed her with, " Lord ma
dam, that old fellows there yet and he is
certainly crazy or drunk. for he is down
at the table, and has eaten more than a
skippels Of rice pudding already, and his
nose right down in plate full now,
shoveling it in like hog, and told me,
as if he was lord mayor, to bring him
clean plate to ca, salad on. Bless me,
where can we get salad this time Of the
year! And the gentlemen have not done
carving, and not one has began to eat meat,
much less to eat tub full Of pudding
Aye; he'll get a clean plate, says Martha,
before gentlemen want clean plates.
I'll clear him out, says the mistress,
and starts for the dining room burning
with indignation.
The Judge was remarkable for not CIV
ing unnecessary trouble to any body
where he put up, and generally ate what
ever was set before him without making
any remarks and seldom made use Of
more than one plate at meal; but at
this time he observed near him, dish Of
beautiful raw white cabbage cut up and
put into vinegar, (Which the low Dutch at
Poughkeepsie call cold slac, and which
he called saliad) and he wished for a
separate plate to prepare some of II for
his own fancy. The carving and serving
were not yet finished, when he expected
clean plate, and when the landlady ar
rived at the door Of the dining room de-
lermined to drive him out. She advanced
with firm step to the door, and fixed
her keen eye sternly on the judge, when
he turning his eye tina, way and obscry-
ing her, mildly said, landlady, can have
clean plate to eat some salad on! A
clean plate and salad returned the land
lady Indignantly. | wish you would
come into the kitchen until gentlemen
have dlned; have reserved this seal
for Judge Crane. The company were
sttnck with establishment, and ixed their
eyes alternately on tie Iandlady and on