Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-05-02
Oranges On The Street.

oranges Un Inc street.
When 1 threw up the curtain
that first morning in Jacksonville,
and looked out in the park in front
Of the hotel; and saw green trees OF
I'LL kinds, orange trees filed with
ripe, yellow fruit, shade trees out.
side the walks with oranges on, and
ladies with parasols, / began to
look. around for the;South pole. 1t
was an enchanting sight to a man
|irightSf.resh from a sieighsride and
1 gotinto u couple OF pants pretty
I quick, and went out to just wallow
in all this verdure. wanted to 60
and roll in the grass. I went down
stairs without waiting for any
elevator, rushed through the Office,
forgetting ali about breakfast, and
began to walk about the park and
the town. The orange; didn't look
right to me. [ couldn't see how
they could grow there in the street
right within reach Of every little
darkey in town, without being stol-
ell. In the north the sourest crab
apple that ever broke Il mans jaw,
or puckel'ed up IL pretty mouth,
would not be safe At moment, as eX-
posed as those oranges were, and |
could not believe that boys in the
south were more honest than boys
III the north. Then got to think
ing, and made up my mind that
the oranges were tied OH the trees
with pieces of vile, and were inten-
died. to deceive Northern people. l
thought it was a mean deception,
and L made up my mind to expose
it to the world. l asked Il colored
man if there was any objection to
Il man picking an orange, and he
said he reckoned not, so | reached
up and got hold OF one and picked
it. looked for the wire or string,
but it was actually a growing or
ange, and [ had more faith III Flor
ida than ever. | shall always be.
lieve that the colored man smiled
when he saw me take out my knife
and cut a piece out of chat orange.
Any way, he turned his back when
| started tile piece Of orange TO-
wards my mouth. Many OF the
readers will remem Der my mouth,
rs it was when | livc.l in the north.
1t WAS pretty decent sort OF IL mouth
to stub around with. a plain, every
day sort of hole, with teeth and
tongue and lips, before | took that
piece of orange in. Ye gods. The
orange was It's much sourer than
vinegar as vinegar is sourer than
honey. And bitter! Aloes, and
rhubarb, and quinine combined,
would be molasseS beside that or
ange. My lips curl up and draw
around under my left ear, my teeth
became loose and ratified around
like dice in a dice box, aud my ton
que Glove to the roof of my mouth.
One eye opened SO wide that the
eye.b alllooked like the face ola six
shilling bulls eye watch, and the
other eye closed systematically and
winked so a colored nurse girl who
thought | was winking at her got
up Off IL bench and hauled the baby
wagon away, while the baby cried
as though pin was sticking i'll it,
Oh account of the expression on my
face. / reached around to my pis-
tol pocket for IL handkerchief to COY
er my face until | could unscrew my
mouth and get it back in front OF
me, and the colored man thought |
was going TO draw pistol, aud he
started off on Il run. We'll, if had
a picture of my face when | took Il
moutht'ul OF that orange, they could
sell them by the thousand in dime
museums as the wild man of BorneO.
And that is tile reason oranges
are sale growing in the Streets
From The Milwaukee Sun.