The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-26
One Of Bret Harte's Good Stories
NANNY DOWney's Pies.

| One of Bret Harte's Good Stories
Nanny DOWney's Pies.
Bret Harte In saibner for April
The pies and cakes made by the old wo-
man were, Think, remarkable rather for
their inducing the same loyal and gener-
Gus spirit than for their intrinsic excell-
ence, and II may be said appealed more
strongly to the nobler aspirations Of hu.
mainly than its vulgar appetite. How
belt everybody ate NANNY Downey's
pies, and thought Of his childhood. "Take
EN-, dear boys" the old lady would say;
ut does me good to see you eat 'em; re-
minds me kinder Of my poor Sammy, that
ef he'd lived, would hev been ez strong
and big ez you be, but was taken down
with lung fever at Sweetwater. kin see
him yet; that's forty years ago, dear ]
comm out O. the lot to the cake house,
and smilin' such a beautiful smile, like
yours, dear boy, as ] handed him a mince
or a lemming.turnoyer. Dear, dear, how
I do run on! and those days is past! but
the hotel. keeper, actuatedby a low jeal-
ousy, had suggested that she Seemed TO
Live of Them" but as that person tried 10
demonstrate the truth OF her statement
by reference to the cost OF the raw mater
ialused by the old lady, it was considered
by the camp as too practical and economi.
cal for confederation. "Besides," added
Cy Perkins, "ef old Nanny wants TO
turn an honest penny in her old age, let
her do it. How would you like your old
mother to make pies on grub wages? eh?"
A suggestion thai so affected his hearer
who had no mother that he bought three
on the spot. The quality Of these pies had
never been discussed but once. Its re.
lated that a young lawyer from San
Francisco, dining at the Palmetto Res
taurant, pushed away one Of Nanny
Downey's pies with every expression OF
disgust and dissatisfaction. At this junct-
ure, Whisky Dick, considerably affected
by his fayorite s,imulant, approached the
strangers table, and, drawing up a chair,
sat unlimited before him.
"Mebbe, young man" he began gravely,
Eye don't like Nanny Downey's pies?"
The stranger replied CURLY, and in some
a%stonishment, that he did not, as q rule,
"eat pie"
"Young man." continued Dick, with
drunken gravity, "mebbe your accustom.
ed to Charlotte rusks and blue mango;
mebbe ye can't eat unless your grub is
got up by one O. them French cooks? Yet
we-us boys var in this camp-calls that
plea good a competent pie"
The stranger again disclaimed any
thing but a general dislike OF that form
aYoung man." continued Dick, utterly
unheeding the explanation-4young man,
mebbee you onct had an ole-a very ole
mother, who, tottering down the vale o
years, made pies. Mebbee, and it's like
your blank ~epicurean soul, ye turned up
your nose on the ole woman, and went
back on the pies, and on herl She that
handled ye vile ye wos a baby-a little
baby! Mebbee ye went back on her, and
shook her, and played of on her, gave her
away-dead awayl And now, mebbee,
young mani wouldn't hurt ye for the
world, but mebbee, alote ye leave this var
table, YE'LL EAT THAT PIP
The stranger rose to his feet, but the
muzzle Of a dragon revolver in the I'M
steady hands Of Whisky Dick caused him
to sat down again. He ate the pie, and
lost his case likewise, before q Rough.and.
Ready jury.