Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-09-04

zeel nuts, and bassylonies, horrible, oily,
indigestible things those first, with shells
that would not crack even in the school
room door, and kernels that would burn
like candles. For cocoa-nuts-koker nuts
it was spelled in Creak's window--we used
to club, and then eat in company, regaling
first upon the insipid, sickly milk, after
wards upon the hard kernels, the shells
being saved for burning upon the fifth of
November, though fireworks were not our
forte. Gluey italian jumbles, stuffy, treaciy
parliament, chafy cakes, sticky jam tarts,
and tough, gummy suckers we pur-
chased wholesale,-not as to price,
while the only sensible way in which,
as far as I can recollect. we laid out our
money, was once week in roast potatoes,
which we bought of one Dirty Jenny,
who used to come into the playground just
before tea-our pockets serving to keep
the fruit hot until bedtime. There were
times, too, when we patrionized the muffin
baker but, as a rule, dry mullins were
voted tame, and, in cold unbuttered crum-
pets, there always was clamminess that
I never could get over. In very stern
times, when remittances failed and famine
was sore in the land, the popping patch
of india-rubber used to serve for some
thing to chew; but there I was unfortu-
nate, for, masticating in school hours, l
was reminded of my breach of observan-
ces by sharp cut of the cane and in the
spasmodic action which followed, gave a
huge gulp, and swallowed whole
penn orth. 1t is now exactly forty years
since that incidents but / believe siren
uously that that lump of india-rubber still
lies in hard, indigestible mass on my
chest, for l have never dared to try the
only solvent l know-naphtha and ben
zole.
At thoughtful seasons ponder upon the
past, and almost wonder that | have a
tooth left in my head for the work the
incisOrs and molars-notably the latter
had to perform was something enormous.
Savage nations might have learned from
us variety of wrinkles for famine days.
| should think that, before | was fourteen,
hunger had driven me to try everything
that could possibly be masticated by hu-
man teeth, and certainly fifty per cent. of
such things were not nutritious. Ample
and palatable food would have prevented
ali this but our coarse dietary drove us
to divers strange meats. Haws, sloes,
crabs, hips, and blackberries, were matters
of course; but bark, pith, leather, and
gum, were certainly not advantageous to
the system and, in spite of their nutritious
properties for sheep and horses, | am quite
satisfied that boys wodld be better without
either raw turnips or carrots.
Now all this, and much more, rose to
my mind, as the unknown feasted upon
his bread and bacon-feasted ris ht royalty,
for it was with appetite and eljoyment.
1t was plain that ne felt no fear of after
horrors, which should make him approach
his next meal with dread and trembling.
One could see in his ruddy countenance
and clear, bright eye, that hypochondria
had never seized upon him 1t was plain
enough to see in his comfortable state, in
the quiet satisfaction with which he wiped
his knife upon the palm of his hand, his
mouth upon the back, before having few
whiffs of his coarse, rank tobacco out of a
black, broken pipe Enviousl 1t was
enough to make any man envious, to see
the fellows aspect of perfect content
content, forsooth, upon twelve shillings
week whilst /, with my income of -,
but stay; this may be placed beside my
income tax returns, and some slight dis
crepancy detected.
I turned mournfttlly away, leaving my
bucOlic friend to finish his dlnner-hOur in
peace, and muse upon the meal SO sweet
ened with the pleasant sauce of hunger; !;
while l strobe through the sun-glinted
copse, with more than one white tailed
rabbit darting across my path, to rustic
away amongst the fern. thought of the
unknown, then of myself, then Of half Of
half-a-quartern loaf, and a slab of fat
bacon, then of the repast that would
await me at five-the clear soup, the bit
of fish, the well Drowned outlets, and the
boiled fowls, and stilton. That, too, was
the day to try the wine samples-the dry
sherry and fruity port. My case was, |
felt, hard; for, as l muttered half aloud,
"Ah he never went to school, sighed
loudly, my coat-tail caught in bush, and
something ratified in the pocket, and l
sighed again, for it was box of dinner
pills.