The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-01-14
THE TWO GOVERNORS.
An old Tale of u Littlo Brown jug.

A great many years ago the Governor
of North Carolina received friendly
visit from the Governor of South Caro-
lima. After real North Carolina din
ner of bacon aud yams, the two Govern
ors lit pipes and sat in the shade of the
back veranda with demijohn of real
North Carolina corn whiskey, copper
distilled, within easy reach. "There
was nothing stuck up about those Gov
ernors," says a North Carolina State his
torian, in the homely but vigorous
language Of his section. "There they
sot and smoked, aud sot and smoked,
every once and while taking mutual
pull at the demijohn with the aid of
gourd, which they used as Democratic
goblet. The conversation between the
two Governors was Oh the subject of
turpentine and rice, the staples of their
respective States, aud the further they
got into the subject the lower down they
got into the jug, and the lower down
they got into the jug the dryer the Gov
ernor of South Carolina got, who vas a
square drinker and a warm man, with
abont million pores to:levery square
inch of his hide, which enabled him to
histe in likely share Of corn juice, or
other beverage, and keep his carcass at
the same time we'll ventilated, and gen
orally always ready for more, while the
Governor of North Carolina was more
cautious drin',er, but was mighty sure
to strike bottom at about the twelfth
drink, like n. if nature had measured
him by the gourdful. Well, they sot
and smoked and argued, and the Gov
ernor of North Carolina was as hospita-
bic as any real Southern gentleman
could be, for he ladled out the whiskey
in the most liberal manner, being par
ticular to give his distinguished guest
three drinks to his one, and gauging his
own drinks with great care, for fear that
if he didn't he might lose the thread of
his argument, and the demijohn might
run dry before the Governor of South
Carolina should be ready to dust out
for home, in which case it would look
like he had not properly observed the
laws of hospitality, which would have
been self.infIcted thorn in his side for
years to come, ,.and.no amount OF apollo
gy could ease his mind or enable him
to feel;warranted inashowing his counte,
nance to his fellow men, especially in
his home district, whore for generations
it had been a main point with every
gentleman to keep his visitor we'll sup
piled with creature comforts, and to
hand him a good gourdful as stirrup.
cup when about to make his departure
for the bosom of his family. Singular
to relate, the cautiousness manifested by
the Governor Of North Carolina was of
no avail, for at one and the same time
the jug went dry and the Governor of
North Carolina, ,smuch to his subsequent
modification, when he learned the fact
afterward, dropped off into quiet sleep,
while the Governor of South Carolina
continued to keep on with his argument,
holding the empty gourd in his...h III
close contiguousness to the demijohn,
and wondering at the apparent absent
mindedness of his hitherto attentive
host to whom, after a minute and a half
of painful silence, he made use of but
one remark: "Governor, don't you think
it's long time between drinks?" The
remark was overheard by George, the
body.servant of the Governor of North
Carolina, who, knowing that there was
something wrong, took to the woods,
where he remained in seclusion for three
days; but the Governor of South Caro-
lima, receiving no reply from the Gov
ernor of North Carolina, mounted his
horse and rode sadly homeward, with
an irrepressible feeling at his heart that
there was coming to be hollowness in
friendship, and that human nature was
in danger Of drifting into condition of
chaotic mockery.-(From the Richmond,
Na., Rsformer.