Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-01
A Cute Yankee.

rises in the morning. York Dmchman
A Cute Yankee.
The following good one is published in the
September number of Harper's Magazine. 1t
is told by correspondent who signs himself
"Timmins.n
"Among our passengers coming home, said
he, was Mr.. II --, not long ago deputy
collector in our port, at the custom-house a
most entertaining gentleman, who has no idea
that he is telling anything amusing, until he is
| reminded of it by the loud laughter of every
body about him.
"When l was deputy collector in New York,
says he, was sitting in my Office one hot after.
noon, when long, slab-sded, Yankee-looking
fellow came in with a kind of guilty look, his
hat dangling in his hand, his head hanging on
one side, and his eyes cast down, but with
curious kind of a smile, too, as thought sneak
ing 6tfuly across his face. He stood by the
door for minute, twirlng his hat, and seeming
to be afraid to come forward to where was
sitting.
| "'Well, sir asked, what is wanted?
"Be you Mr. II --p said he.
"19es, Mr.. III ---- is my name
"'Yaes: but be you the deputy collector Of
New York State
II answered that was the deputy collector
Of the customs of the city of New York.
'Edzactly,, says he--yaes; the very man
want to see.'
He hesitated again, and twirled his hat
more rapidly than ever.
- What is your business with me? State IL
said /, rather sharply Ny time is too valu-
| able to be wasted in useless talk or delay
- Yeas said he, dzactly SO. Well, you see,
| I've got into little trouble, and come to SEQ
| if you could Mt help me out little.
| " He fingered his hat again, and grew i'm
| patient and nervous.
~ Go on said /, and get through. What
is your trouble, and how can help you, or
what have got to do with it.?
! 90 Well,' he went on, / was down to Ha.
| vana the other day, and being fond of sinolsin'
| bought few cigars for my own use; and
when we got back to York didn't know that
there would be any hurt in bringing in a few
but as man was brinein' on EN- up Broad street
they arrested--for "dewtes," the man said
"de,cties;" and he said they must oil be forfeit
ed or "confscated,n and that | couldn't have
none of 'em, he said, unless ! could git 'ein en-
tered. He told me couldn't get none 'em en-.
tered until you had given permission, and that
he rather thought You wouldn't do it--dewty or
no dewty.'
Il was struck with his simplicity--his green.
ness, / thought at the time-and was disposed
| to overlook what might have been an attempt at
smuggling, in consideration of the fact that,
/ after all, it was probably pure ignorance.
1 so said: As you seem to have been ig.
norant of the revenue law, will enter your
cigars, and you can have them upon payInen.
| of.duty. How many had youg
/ Twenty thousand on EN-.
Twenty thousand cigars for your o,cJa use!
| This alters the case entirely
".Well, not 'dzactly for my o,ca use, but
wanted some for my friends to smoke, tew.
That's all.
"'Well, sir, on payment Of duty, the cigars
may be taken away
"'Dewtyl not arter they're "ente,e9," there
aint no de,rty is there? That's what the man
said that took them off the cart.
~ explained to him that the cigars must pay
a duty and that it was great favor to HIM
self TO be permitted to take them away at all.
"'Well,' said he, putting on his hat, and
| holding the door ajar, ha'nt got no money to
| pay dewtes but III go up town to - street
| to see friend of mine, and may be he'U taks
| EN- out Good a'rternoonr
The next day. just as / was about leaving
my desk, the Yankee operator came in, bring,
ing with him dark, Spanish.looking person.
| Give come to get them cigars, said he,
| that was arrested for dewties. My friend here
will pay the dewties.
"lhe necessary preiminaries were gons
| through with, and the cigars were taken away.
/ "Early on the morning of the next day, as
was sitting at my desk, felt faint tap on my
shoulder, and on looking up, who should | see
but my Yankee customer standing over me.
g" How de du to-dayr said he.
"'l'm quite well, thank you; but what do
you want of me nouF
"Nothing' said he-'nothin got donep
"And he gave wink and a leer that none
but just such Yankee as himself could give
"'We done that thing up handsome, didn't
we?' said he.
"What thing? | asked.
"'Why, them cigars said he. They was mt
Cuba cigars; them cigars was made in Connec-
ticutl | got a factory there myself, and had
em "took up on suspicion. But folks, he ad-
ded, will like EN- Just rs well as the choicest
Havannas. Fact is there's good deal of decep-
tion practiced about cigarsr
81 showed the impudent, designing, unscrup.
ulous fellow, the door, and he went out winkinr
and laughing sJJe did that thing up hand.
somer as if myself had been party to the
netarious transaction"
TURKISH PATRIorrsM--All accounts agree
in stating that the Turk is thoroughly aroused.
The phrase is, that it is '.Mosleni fanatcism"
which is so excited. We shall not certainly
dispute that the Moslems may be fanatics The
conquering faith that once swept over a region
from China to Gibraltar-from indefinite boun-
daries in Europe, even up in Africa, to the
sources Of the Nile, still exists. But Mahome.
danism has, like other religions, felt something
of the humanzing influence Of progress. Ii
is no longer quite the iron master it was when
victory so uniformly perched on its banner: