The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1865-09-14


But, no, It was not SO bad as that.
There it was, sort of ornamental label,
with the words, rendered indistinct by
mold and age, F." Yin du Loftte."
"Look at this" I exclaimed, pointing
to light colored streak pointing diago-
nally across the label, seeming to have
been caused by the scratch OF nall
drawn briskly over it.
| "Don't you remember" said !, "that
last night, while we were drinking our
wine and telling our stories, was play
ing with my knife, and that, by fire.
quently drawing its point across that
label ON the bottle, finally scratched
clean through the paper? Don't you
see that this is the identical label?"
81 would swear it on q thousand
Bibles" exclaimed my English friend,
with energetic indignation.
I was quite as indignant, and rang the
bell violently.
"This French scoundrel OF landlord
has played us nice trick" remarked.
eyes," replied my friend; !" his cob.
webs and imitation mold were well laid
on"
"This is doubtless common GIN Ordi-
l21oi1'e.' worth about six sous bottle, in
stead of the fifteen francs which he
charges for Lafitte."
+" No doubt of it, replied my friend.
"And yet we thought it was quite
fruity,'o remarked with q smile, not
withstanding my anger at the impo-
sition.
"Well, you called it SO; but I confess
thought it was very different from that
we drank lastnight," replied my English
| friend.
"Come, come, that won't do" re-
spOnded, determined not to be saddled
with all the ignorance which both Of US
had betrayed; "you distinctly pro.
nounced it Z fruity.'"
"Oh, that was last night"
"Certainly, but it was tonight also.
We have both been nicely sold, and
there is no use trying to dodge it"
BY this time the "garc0no arrived.
"Send the landlord here instantly"
said I.
The waiter disappeared, and the land.
lord soon entered.
Ny indignation returned, and, putting
on the air Of cosuaoissesr, poured out
glass Of wine, and asked the landlord
to drink 1t, and give me an opinion Of
its quality.
He drank It very leisurely, smacking
his lips at each swallow, and then re-
marked:
Magnifque! Glorious Vim du La
f1tte, more than dozen years oldw
win Ordinaire, two months old"
exclaimed, with no small degree OF
anger at his impotence.
:" You are Joking" he replied, point
ing to the label; you see this Is the
LATTE Of 1881"
ut is an imposition and swindle, q
cheat and robbery. Don't you think
know what wine is ~ exclaimed, as
Stunning the air of a man who had been
in the wine trade all his life. 81 tell
you this is the vim ordinaire, worth but
one franc per gallon.'
The host looked amazed, and tried to
assume an air of injured indocence.
my dear SIR" said he, "you forget
that you are in the city of Bordeaux and
that the house of Messrs. LATTE is only
across the street, opposite my hotel. It
is not possible to make mistake about
the wine. Besides, did you not see the
bottle was covered with mold and cob
webs when it came from my cellar ~
Finding that my assumed knowledge
OF wine would have no effect on the
landlord, and rejecting that he probably
knew how successfully he had humbug-
ged us the night previous with the same
hHIU VI WlHcy pOlHttu OUT tIlc lttDeA W
him, and, telling him all the circum-
stances, convinced him that it was i'm
possible to deceive us any longer. The
moment that he saw that further denial
or prevarication was useless, he smiled,
assumed a patronizing air, patted me on
the shoulder and exclaimed:
+" Monsieur Barnum, you are one very
sharp Yankee. 1 shall acknowledge to
you this is vin ordinaire, but you shall
have Immediately one, two, or three
bottles of magnifique Lafitte for nothing.
But l shall tell you one thing. have
kept this hotel nine years, and have sold
many thousand bottles of wine for La
fitte, and l never sell but twelve dozen
real Lafitte in my whole life! You are
one American with both eyes openW
| accepted his apology, and one bottle
OF his Magnifque Laftte." But the
charm was broken. / doubt whether
the last bottle was ever in the cellars of
Latitte, but, whether so or not, neither
my friend nor myself ventured to pro-
nounce its contents fruity."
This incident caused me to change
my mind in regard to taking wine to
America. l concluded, if I must be
cheated, [ might as well have that