Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1891-12-09
yii'iirqinia ii'ii frre gress.
December 0, 1891.
Mark Train and Domn Pfan.

Hasthgioa Post.
In the number of the old GALAXY Nay
o,iae for May, 1870, Mark Twain began
to contribute an original humorous de-
partment under the modest title Of
Memoranda" He kept it up for year,
his last contribution being in the GALAXY
for April, 1871. In the following num-
Der, May, 1871, COL Donn Piatt, then
living in this city, assumed the editorship
of substitute department under the
more pretentious title of the Galaxy
Club Room" The first story told in this
bright and attractive Club Room" was
in the nature of an introduction, and ran
as follows:
The local columns Of the country news
papers are yet excited over the man in
Washington who won a wager upon the
possibility Of eating thirty quails in thirty
consecutive days. The man, it appears,
was healthy, hearty specimen, possessed
Of what Shakespeare designated in Car
d.nal Wolsey as an unbounded stomach.
One would take the odds, to look at him,
that he could consume hash or fried liver
upon the same terms. Yet, strange to
say, this man lost thirty pounds during
the process, and worried down the last
quail as if it had been an agricultural re-
port or a speech by a Congressman.
We were discussing this singular affair
at the Arlington when the honorable
Delegate from Montana called my atten-
ton to the fact that we had been eating
quails, and quails on toast at that, all
winter, and that probably we should con-
tinue the quail diet so long as the pro-
prietor could purchase that delicacy by
the barrel. This gave rise to discus
sion hat ended in the philosophical con-
clusion that it was the wager and not the
birds. To test this however, the honor
able delegate proposed that we should
bring to the Arlington hungry consti-
tute of his, a man possessed Of high Dem
ocratic principles, no religious prejudices,
and a good digestion. The honorable
delegate asserted that IL singular crea-
ture lived at boarding house, ON bull
neck beef from Immediately back of the
horns that was roasted for dinner, and
then was served to the benighted board
ers in the morning securely hashed.
The proposition was accepted, and this
able bodied young man brought to the
Arlington, with the understanding that
he was not to be informed as to the OBJ
iect of our attention.
He came, joined our mess, aud, al
though quiet in his ways and somewhat
shy of our conversation, mastieated his
two Quails, one on toast at breakfast and
the other roasted and stuffed at dinner,
without hesitation. Some little diploma
cy had to be exercised to get the quails
ordered. Perhaps we overrated this
Perhaps the able-bodied young Democrat
from Montana would have masticated no
end of quails for no end of time had the
delicacy been placed before him. But
we had wager pending, and this created
some nervous excitement on our part
and to the bystanders it must have been
as good as play to see the honorable
Delegate and your editor inveigling that
unsuspectiug youth into eating his quail.
Unfortunately for us, the fact Of the
trial leaked out, aud a general interest,
resulting in bets, spread over the hotel,
and extended to the gambling resorts OF
Washington. The result was that the
poor young became the observed Of all
observers. lie ran the gauntlet of star
luZ eyes III tuAlJuS htlittlSi anu nun Aut
moment that he sat down until he had
masticated his quail, appetites and eating
were suspended. We began to dread
that some scamp interested in wager
would inform our victim. And this was
aggravated by the robust young man
from Montana taking to drink. Why he
did so, unless instigated by the devil or
some other unknown enemy, we could
not make out; but before coming to his
quail, especially before dinner, he would
get we'll primed with bad whiskey. The
honorable Delegate from Montana under
took, so interested was he in this scien-
dhe experiment, TO keep his able-bodied
constituent continually in view. He not