Washington telegraph., 1849-08-01
PRIVATE PUDDING;
OR HOW THE HOOSIER COME 1T

| lust struck New Orleans for the first time
after his fatboat was made snug and fast,
went up too see the sights of the city
! Passing st. Charles he stopped immedi-
ately in front of the st. Charles Hotel,
and, looking up, seemed to scrutinize
the building with the eye of an architec-
| tural connoisseur.
After satisfying his gaze he asked OF
passer-by what building it was; on being
| told it was hotel, he inquired for the
entrance, and being shown, he ascended
the steep steps. Approaching the office
he inquired for the landlord of whom he
inquired if he could get "bite" to eat
MIR. E. r. Nudge who was the host at
tha. time, and who is host at all times,
humorng the fellow, told him he could
do so by paying dollar. After consider
ing for some time on this item, and;grave-
ly looking his host in the face, he said,
"Well, I'll go it, thar my dollar, whars
your dinner!"
"Well," said the other, with smile,
'it is not ready yet, but take seat at the
table there, and you can amuse yourself
with the papers for half an hour, when
you will hear the gong, which will inform
you that the dinner is ready"
'"The gong" what's that" asked the
Hoosier.
ooh you will find out when you hear
it, replied Nudge.
Satisfied with this answer, the Hoosier,
after looking wildly around him, sat
down and rumaged over the papers,
Time sped on at its customary rate, when
suddenly the gong sounded, and as usual
the crowd moved for the dining room.
Recovering from his astonishment at
the noise of the gong, and seeming the
delicious fumes of the dinner, the Hoosier
made a rush through the crowd for seat,
but being met by the host he was con-
Quoted to his allotted chair. The gentle
man seated on each side of him, as well
as the gentleman opposite him, had their
wine before them.
After finishing his soup and having his
plate well filled, the Hoosier observed
the gentleman helping themselves freely
to wine, and. So seiZing the bottle of his
right hand neighbor, he attempted to help
himself, when he was modestly Informed
that the wine was ''private." The Hoo
sier did not seem to comprehed, and with
and fork On laying them down again,
and having apparently come to the con-
clusion that it could not al! be "private"
wine, he seized hold of his left-hand
friends bottle.
"Stop, if you please, sir, said the Of
Tended Individual with fierce look, that
is 2ori0ate aciac, sir
The Hoosier looked still more aston
ished, and finding it a hard case, thought
he would make another trial anyhow
So reaching across the table, he seized
the bottle opposite to him, and was just
in the act of filling his glass, when his
vis-a-uis re.echoed "private wine, sir, if
you please" and withdrew the bottle
from the fearful leakage it was about to
undergo.
The "green 'un" becoming enraged at
being foiled on every side, and observing
that there was general simpering and
tittering among the walters, turned on
the servant who stood at the back OF the
chair, and who had taken away his plate
for the fifth or sixth time, and cried out
to him with an oath to bring back hlS
plate, and that if he took it away again,
shed be dod rot if he didn't draw his
picker on him." and as suiting the action
to the word, put his hand into his bosom,
showing the handle of huge bowie-kniie.
After this, things went on quietly, TIL
the desert was put on the table, when
large Charlotte RuSSe pudding was set
right before the Hoosier. This he imme-
diately drew near his plate, and looking
right and left at his neighbors; he helped
himself to large portion of it. keeping
his eyes fixed OH the dish, while eating
he perceived his light hand neighbor at
tempting to withdraw the dish from him
"No you don't Mister" said the Hoo
sier to him, "that thar puddin' is P'1Uate
patdding."
The left-hand gentleman, not observing
what had passed, then said, "Allow me
TO take this pudding, sir!
"No, you can't take that thar Pndd1n
and he re-helped himself. Shortly after
the gentleman opposite was in the act or
drawing the dish over to him.
"Hold on Mister" said the Hoosier,
with look of triumph, "I'd have You to
know that that puddin' is private pua-
din'," while at the same time he put his
thumb to his nose and made sundry gyra-
tions with his fingers. "You can't come
it over me- he continued feeling that
joke had been played upon him; ''private
wine, eh!'
The attention OF the table being at
tracted during the latter scene, the gen
tlemen around burst into roar OF laughter,
and soon the whole story was whispered
from one to another. The thing took so
well that every gentleman was induced
to send his bottle to the Hoosier with hls
compliments, and our "green 'un soon
hecame as merry as lord. Hiccough-