The Portland daily press., 1882-11-28
A Kentucky Bird Dinner.
The Annual Frolic of Her Statesman in
the Woods.
ICorr. Louisville Comm ercial.l

A typical Kentucky scene was the annual
bird dinner of the Sportsmen's club at Emf
nence on the eleventh instant. 1t is only once
ina lifetime that one gets TO see just such an
assembly of Kentuckians enjoying themselves
after just such Kentucky fashion. The best
element in the State, the ablest politicians, the
best speakers, the cleverest anecdote-tellers in
this or any other State were all there, and they
spent the time after the manner of the old
days. The crowd was large and a remark
ably characteristic one. 1t is doubtful II just
such crowd as gathered about under these
old trees could have been collected in any 9TH
er State in the Union
Do you see that big, muscular fellow there
leaning against the table with the crowd of
men around him, slapping him ON the back
and familiarly calling him "Jim?" Well'
that's no less parsonage than Senator James
B. Beck; but he is off for frolic and good
time in the healthy air, and you will presently
see when any fun is started that he enjoys it
just as hugely as any one on the ground. And
you may notice that dashiDg looking gentle
man with his broad brimmed hat turned up on
one side like Spanish bull-fghter, and his
mustachios twirled out to most prod gious
length In spite of his fierce air he is the hero of
the hour and no toast is drank that Joe must
not in come for his share. This genial Joe makes
speeches sometimes that are marvels of elo-
quence and inspiration, and then he is men,
toned in the papers as the Hon. j. G. s. Black
burn. just now he is laughing till his face is
red and bursting with good humor:
And that forid, portly Kentuckian, with
the stubbly gray moustache and his lat cooked
knowingly over his left eye, which has conf
cal look, mingled with such shrewdness as tells
the poorest reader of character that he is born
wit When Joe Blackburn has slightly re-
covered himself you will hear him allude to
this gentleman of the horid face and stubbly
moustache as "Prock, /" but if you are a close OBJ
server you will not need to be told that the fa-
NOUS author of the Duluth speech and the Penn
sylvania avenue speech stands before you. You
had better take good look at Proctor Knott
this time, for he is generally so besieged with
crowds that you can't come within ten yards of
him, That pale-faced man looking about him
with the eye of philosopher is Fayette Hew-
lit, the auditor. Dick Jones is over there
to one side, as gentlemanly, as urbane as dig
nifed as only he can be. That portly man
with the nose that shows he will fight if neces-
sary, is Col. j. Stoddard Johnston, and that
neat little figure by his side, is the register of
the land office, Ralph Sheldon. Wat. Hardin,
the Attorney General is standing off there
with Jim Morris, types of two different kinds
of intellect. You must not be surprised to be
introduced to these gentlemen by their Chris
tian names. You won't find man in this
country who would call Senator Beck anything
but "Jim" or Capt. Blackburn anything but
"Joe." He don't care straw that Beck is
Senator with national reputation. He likes
''Jim" Beck and he likes Joe" Blackburn.
Indeed the sturdy men like everybody who
don't run counter to their prejudces
The only incongruous man here is the musi-
clan, lonely, gaunt, haggsrd looking fellow
sitting on a stump with mournful sounding
bugle at his mouth When he begins to play
the crowd gathers around him and he starts to
sing some old English ballad. He is hardly
half through before there is a shout for Joe
Blackburn, and that gentleman is forced to get
no beside the musician to sing song. He
puts his hat little more on one side, turns the
brim little further uD, and begins to sing
4'My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night. !"
He has one of the strongest voice in Kentucky
listen to him. He is rewarded with burst of
applause and sings some old sentimental
Scotch ballad. The singing is now over.
"Make Knott tell that anecdote about the
dog" suggests the sharp, quick voice of Beck,
and in an instant the crowd gathers about the
prince of Kentucky story-tellers. No man can
say he ever heard an anecdote told unless he
has heard Proctor Knott tell it. A better COM
ic actor could hardly be found.
"Why don't you tell about that Wolfe coun-
ty speech of yours the other day?" asked Black
burn "Well, it was something like this, said
Mr.. Knott, not at all unwilling. "You know
Joe and were to speak one night at Hazel
Kirke, and the little hall was packed. They
were hanging in the windows, aud about one
third of them were outside. Every woman
who had a baby brought one and every woman
who didn't have one must have borrowed one,
for they all had 'em. Well, Joe led off in one
of his speeches You all know what kind of a
speech Joe Blackburn can make. He did all
the fine business, all the ice-cream and cake,
and left me at the wrong time to come IN with
bacon and cabbage. didn't know what to
say to them, so 1 told them to think OF me as
the deacons in the Lea,'. willie church thought
of the organist when they pasted up over his
head, Gentlemen, when shooting, Will please
not aim at the organist."
"Yes," said Blackburn, when the laugh mad
subsidized a little, "and he kept telllng them
story after story and made me laus'h SO much
felt ashamed of myself. And the worst part
about it was that he keIt telling them !hat ne
had given up telling anecdotes, and endeu ms
speech by saying the parting injunction st MS
wife was: Proctor, for heavens sake Sonr
tell any more of those anecdotes.
Presently there was hustle little below
where the cooking was going on, long table
was fixed up, covered with dazzling wnite
tablecloth and IN very short space OF time
was groaning under the weight of good things
that were put on it. Birds OF all sizes and
cooked in all styles; oysters raw and oysters
fried and oysters stewed; tender lamb and
delicate beef; great rounds OF bread-every-
thing was on that big style which is so essen
an end and there did at last come time when
those arouud the hoard could eat no more.