Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1855-07-25
"Eot Drap More, 'thou't it's sweetened."

1t is astonishing how firmly certain words
and phrases become Incorporated in our ver-
nacular, by the chance telling of an anec-,
dote, or a ything of that sort. A very COM
mon metaphorical expression is contained in
the words, ''getting the hang.'' 1t is of
universal application and convenience, and
became popular from the day of its first APP
pcarance' in the New Orleans Picayune, ten
years ago, as the nub of the story of Yves.
tern gambler in a steamboat who refused to
refund certnin moneys fraudulently obtained
although made fast to piston rod of the
machinery and compelled. every second, al
ternately to plunge forward and jump back
ward to prevent, in the one case his head be-
ing jerked off, and in the other, his brains
Icing dashed out by the regular, powerful
stroke. "Let me alone. pm lust oetiiuo he
hang of the machinery he exclaimed, when
it IS demanded, won't you pay back no,u?'
And so in law, politics, religion and morals,
science and art, the American people have
been GETTING THE HANG, ever since
mot ordp more, 'tho't it's sueetened,'
IN household phrase in part of Georgia
and Ala bama. A man declines, with it, to
renew game Of cards at which he has been
successful; rustic expresses, by the elegant
perlphrnsis, his determination to drop the ac-
quaintance Of some cruel beauty; the little
politician vows, in this terms, to abstain. in
future, from some particular course which
has proved unpro6tablc; and so on, through
thousand phases and cases of common.
place life, it answers its purposes of play
full, but decided ncgation or decension tor
the party using it.. In fact, it IS n rather lib
eral rendering of the Shakspearian, No
more Of that Hal, an thou lovest me-
though used mostly by those who never read
! Shakespeare. .:s 49,. .., ra.. T.
We believe that our friend, Co! X. L. Har-
ralson, formerly of Georgia, is entitled the
credit of the story out of which grew the ex-
preston. He tells it about thus:
Twenty years ago, it was the custom in
/ Northwestern Georgia, as indeed it was
throughout the Southwest, for dry goods deal
ers to keep barrel of ssperrits' in the back
room, and to treat liberal customers to a
glass whenever desired. Fillens & Dewber-
ry were such dealers in one of the small
towns of the region indicated; nnd they had
for customera clever, frolickiug old fell
low, named Joe Denny, who drank whiskey
III preference to water, always, and whose
wife was flesh of his hesh,' in that particu-
lar. Tho old couple would come to town,
| trade quite freely, and quite as freely imbib Q
the spirits in the back room Of the dealer
On one occasion, both the old man and old
woman continued their potations inord nate
! ly: and as Fillens observed that his goods
went better, the dranker the old woman. he
| pressed her TO drink. At last she refused,
unless he would sweeten it with little sug-
ar The amiable shopkeeper INDUCED her,
and when the old people started home in the
evening late, the old man could scarcely
/ ~ he 40 e. IT,
| tually to be lifted and placed on the billion
behind him. Happily she leaned one way,
and her husband the other; SO that the gray-
ltating point was between them and as she
chung to him instinctively, they passed out of
the village safely. Before reaching their
home, however, they had to cross a small
creek, and when their horse stepped ia it to
drink, the old lady having reached unconsci.
business released her hold, and quietly lapsed
INTO the stream below. Occupied with his
thoughts the old man did not perceive his
loss, but logged slowly homeward. Arrived
there, his children enquired anxi,usly for
'mammy,' but the cid man could only saw
that she had been son the crstter and the crit
Ter hand'nt Kicked up nary time, so be could
not say where she mought be and threw
himself stupid, on bed.
Girls and boys few aleng the road the old
man had come, yelling nanny! man, NEE
responded. When they arrived at the creek.
the Oldest girl shouted 'yondsr she is, set.
TIM down in the creek And there she was.
comic tably seated in the water, which came
up nearly to her mouth. As she swayed
back and forth now yielding to the int ct.
uosity Of the stream, and resisting it with
some success. the muddy fluid would occa-
/ sionally wet her lips, and each time it did so
/ she would family exc.aim with grim effor.
to smile:
Not drap more, Mr.. FIllens, 'fhout' it's
stCeetened
Audit is to this romantic little accident in
| the life of the venerable Mrs. Joe Denny.
that we are indebted fer one of our most
popular colloquial phrases L Montgomery
t (Ala.) Mail.