Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-07-19
From the Flag of Our Union.
College Tricks or Phil. Waters

lie Ilule village VI D-s HOt HuT
Idred miles from Baltimore, had the hor
or of being the birth place and home 9
IPhil. Waters, one of the most inveterat
practical jokers the world has ever pro
lduced; no. tina. Phil was a rough an
tumble sort Of fellow who delighted i
Isuch low, practical jokes as the ringin
fof door belIs-the calling up Of the oil
ldoctor on cold winters night to see
sick female, and after leading him 70
Itwo or three miles through the snow il
the woods, to declare that he must b
mistaken. Not such joker was Phi
Waters, but a nice, quiet, unobtrusiye
modest young man, that would hav,
passed muster under host of minister
al candidates. Phil had studied chemis
try, and it was his especial delight 4
form cause and watch its chemical eff
feet on his devoted victim.
Not far from Phirs paternal mansion
was situated the B. Academy, or as thu
villagers called it, sthe College Among
the resident students--of which number
Phil was one--at the Academy, was ;
voung man from North Carolina, named
Morris Kenney, who had imbibed will
his mothers milk stronger aversion TO {
black man, than the great embodiment
of southern principles, Johnny Calhoun
himself. To him niger, as he stylet
black, was an object Of special aver
sion.
Shortly after Morris Kinney's arrival
at the College, he had the good fortune
or misfortune to become intimate with
Phil Waters, so much SO, that day did
not pass that the two were not together,
To Phil, Morris impaired all his feelings
of aversion against the blacks, and would
talk for hours at time on the great
curse of being borne negro. Coming
from the South, Morris's complexion
did not rival 'love's lily white;' his dark
curly hair and small features first led
Phil to think of giving his friend les
son on his antipathy.
The project was no sooner formed
than executed. Morris had read but lit
|tle, had a boundless credulily, and would
listen with rapt attention to Phirs wise
Quotations from authors which no one
but himself ever had the pleasure of read.
ling; to be sure. he always gave his au-
thors name, and the page of the book
but the library at B. was not foriu-
nate enough TO contain all the works thai
Phil had read-espccially those he quo
bed from.
singular circumstance, was it not!'
remarked Phil, one evening when in
company with several other students, oi
which number Morris was one. Sin
[gular circumstance is it not, that Rafting
sparfer mentions In his History Of the
Races of North America that the in
Ehabitants of the South have been known
to turn jet black on being removed to a
more temperate cline
sGod bless my soul who says that!'
exclaimed Morris, springing from his
seat.
.Raffingsparfer,' repeated Phil, the fif-
|ty-fourth page Of the second volume. un.
der the head of Strange Phenomenon.
Yes indeed, Morris, my boy, did you
never hear of that before?' cried Char
Hey Johns. Why, man, do you know
that have been watching your most in.
teresnng physiognomy attentively fol
the past three weeks, to see the great
change come Ger the spirit of thy face,
as Byron saws, or should have said!'
Morris made no reply, but the bai
had taken-the iron had entered his soul,
Next day Phil found him looking
over the library for sRAffingsparfer's His
tory of the North American Races,
which, unfortunately, he found Phil had
loaned to particular friend for few
days.
That night Phil obtained from the vii
|lage apothecary, some nut-galls, in a So
luton Of which he washed Morris tow
lei, and then returned it to his wash-stand.
There are few that don't know that
when towel is washed in solution Of
nut-galls ana dried, it possesses the pow
yer to turn the skin black when wiped
on il, not black al once, but slowly and
surely. Before retiring for the night,
Phil looked in Morris room and found
him reading an old catalogue of the
books in the British Museum and de.
Iclared he could not find Raffingsparfer's
name among the authors.
Never mind says Phil, my copy
will be home next week, and then well
know all about il. But goodness! Nor
ris, how dark you look this evening
mot been fishing in the sun hope!'
Fishing! sun! dark! ELI! 0. Lord
Phil. what do you mean! O, no, I'm
mot dark exclaimed the poor southern
Ter, rushing to his mirror. Very pool
Joke. Phil, very poor indeed. never look.
ed SO white before in my life.' and in
deed lie spoke the truth, for Phil had SC
him, that his compile xior
would have been compared to .bit ol
chalk
well, said Phil, 4 may be mistaken
but 'seeing's believing, you know
Good night
IN see you at prayers in the morn,
ling.
Morris retired for the night after de-
iermining to rise early in tho morning
and take bath, to prove to Phil that hi'
complexion was improving. Early nex