American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-03-30
Nanny DOwney's Pies.

The pies and cakes made by the old
woman were, think, remarkable rath-
er for their inducing the same loyal and
generous spirit than for their intrinsic
excellence, and it may be said appealed
more strongly to the nobler aspirations
of humanity than its vulgar appetite
Howbeit, every body ate Nanny Dow
ney's pies, and thought of his child
hood. "Take 'em, dear boys,' the old
lady would say; it does me good to
see you eat 'em; reminds me kinder of
my poor Sammy, that, eff he'd lived,
would hev been ez strong and big ez
you be, but was taken down with lung
fever, at Sweetwater. l kin see him
yet; that's forty year ago, dear! comm
out o. the lot to the bake-house, and
smilin' such beautiful smile, like
yours, dear boy, as 1 handed him a
mince or lemming turnover. Dear,
dear, how do run on! and those days
is past! but seems to live again in
youi" The wife of the hotel-keeper,
actuated by a low jealousy, had sug
gested that she e'seemed to live off
them,'' but as that person tried to dem
onstrate the truth of her statement by
reference to the cost of the raw mate
rial used by the old lady, it was consid-
cred by the camp as too practical and
economical for consideration. {" Be
Sides" added Cy Perkins, ''ef old Nam
my 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 that
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. 1t is re-
lated that 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
juncture, Whisky Dick, considerably
affected by his favorite stimulant, ap-
preached the strangers table, and,
drawing up a chair, sat unlimited before
him.
"Mebbee, young man," he began
gravely, "ye don't like Nanny
Downey's pies?''
The stranger replied curtly, and in
some astonishment, that he did not, as
a rule, 60 eat pie.''
Young man," continued Dick, with
drunken gravity, mebbee you're ac-
customed to Charlotte rusks and blue
mango; mebbee 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 pie-a good-a COM
pe-tent pie!''
The stranger again disclaimed any
thing but general dislike of that form
of pastry.
" Young man," continued Dick, ut
terly unheeding the explanation
"young man, mebbee you onct had an
ole-a very ole mother, who, tottering
down the vale o. years, made pies.
and it's like your blank epicu
rean soul, ye turned up your nose on the
ole woman, and went back on the pies,
and on her! She that handled We when
ye woz baby-a little baby! Mebbee
ye went back on her, and shook her,
and played off on her, and gave her
away! And now, mebbee,
young mani wouldn't hurt ye for the
world, but mebbee, afore ye leave this
var table, YELL EAT THAT PIE!"
The stranger rose to his feet, but the
muzzle of dragoon revolver in the un-
ste ady hands of Whisky Dick, caused
him to sit down, He ate the pie, and
lost his case likewise, before a Rough
jury.-Bret Harte's "T'wo
Saints Of the Foot Hills," in lScri6ner
for ApriL.