The Press., 1890-01-02


 times also 'smountching') for mountain, and 'sraing" for rain. Of the more famil- jar Yankee duplication of negatives, an artist friend has contributed to the note- book an amusing instance from New Hamp- shire, where he heard slightly underwit- ted countryman declare: "Folks raound here say don't know nofhin', but know mighty we'll that dew know nothin'. !" But our Yankees come by their, wealth of negatives, if not by linguistic orthodoxy, at least by honest inheritance from their ancestral kin beyond the sea. Charles Reade, in one of his short stories entitled "Rus, thus refers to a crotchety British yeoman who must have come very near the extreme Yankee type: "Moore ac cumulated negatives as if they were half pence, A neighbor, to whom he had now and then lent spade or 8 frying-pan or fagot, offended him, and they slanRed each other heartily over the palings. Moore wound up the controversy thus: Don't you never come to my house for nothing no more, for yer won't get it. !" MT. Reade also quotes c native of this county as ad- dresslng 8 band of workmen in these words "Haint never a one of you chaps seen nothing of no hat ?"
 The notebook abounds in miscellaneous Yankeeisms gleamed from the whimsical characters to be found in every back town of Yankeedom. Among the oldest of this odd specie was MT. D., a rugged and antique resident of western Connecticut village. While driving his COWS to pas ture MT. D. used to address them in most emphatic terms. One day, while the animals were in @ very frolicsome mood, he was overheard to say: "Yes, scatter, will ye! Blast ye if there warn't but one of ye ye'd scatter." On a night dark as 'Erebus, MT. D. rushed out excitedly on boys pilfering hls favorite pear tree, ex- claiming, "I see ye! l know ye! Wher. be ye2 Who are yep His profanity was often most voluble and redundant but 1t never reached loftier climax than on an occasion when he missed the blackboard of his wagon after 5 mile drive and on going back for it found that he had been using it as seat. One of his near neighbors was good old dame, the Mrs. Malaprop, |.f the village, who once remarked at our dlnner-table: II know person who calls the cornish of roof the tarnish." She was matched by one of my old Yankee friends, now gone to his reward, who cor rected' an acquaintance reading aloud all account of President Line Dln's funeral, saying that the word ''corpse" was French, and ought to be pronounced 'score." l, was not long before, at local sword pre-, sentation during the civil war, that heard one of the orators exhort the ladies not ta forget the soldiers in the hospital as well as on the field. "For," added he, ''there's more what is not slowed on the field o battle than what is killed by ball." Al court in that village was present when @ witness testified that "there was some where between 'leven and twelve eggs il the basket" A lady friend living in thu place records these words of a preacher 8 funeral: "Often, brethren, have dan died the corpse upon my knee." Among the good Yankee stories of the neighbor hood are the following :: A Mir. B. before driving from his farm to town, uset to delay long delivering what he called his ''last worlds" His vexed hired man a last broke out "Mr. B., you'd be al awful bad man to die,: you'd have SO many come in before you were dead" MT ly incensed when, during presidentia campaign, the republicans piled him witl copies of the New York Tribune. As h, | VSA0 GAtOk SAoAy A10A6Clk, LID AuuB bAOAA " the stove, exclaiming. .sI'll teach them t, throw their pearls before swine F One 0 the oldest native characters was MT. B. an ardent defender of the doctrine of cleo tion., One, day, while 'targyfying" with neighbor at dinner, he lifted 8 morsel O beef on, his fork, asserting: ''I have nt more doubt, sir, of the doctrine of cleo tion than that shall eat that meat. With the emphasis of his gesture the mea
 flew off, and was instantly, devoured by tn, family dog. Here are few Yankeeisms, drawn, fo the most part, from the same locality
 "He butters sausage"-i. G.. lives too ex \ travagant "Back up your cart" for pas your plate ,"Waal, that's huckleberr, tew much ;" "He's troubled with Bright kidneys; ;" ''He died of plexy;" "Can' let yer have no eggs today we're set tin';" II have written receipt for my husbands tombstone ; "My piano is mad of Chickering wood;"' ssDraw 8 lonl scythe" (sigh); ''These corns hurt me &
 I most want.to walk backwards ;" "New ark, New Jersey, IS in York state, isn't it :?
 "We had g fine ball last night; the T Os trich (orchestra) played for us ;" up her we have winter, nine months in the year and t'other three mighty late in the fall !; "I don't care what yer. say yer said, MI Chairman, but that's the way yer moutl went of, enyhow." The, last phrase wa used by village Thersites at one of thos hot boxes of controversy, "school meet in called to locate new schoolhouse. Il Let me close, with this rural telegram which, many years ago, I was permitted copy, and which I pen literally, save tn il substitution of spurious name: :.,
 "JaMes Smith has broken his legs bad T ly. All well'' I M " M.lo,5 E.,,,o,,-. n.;,l7 7b;,,.