The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-18
GUBERNAroRIAL CoMpI.rMGNTs.

GURERNAToRIAL COMPARTMENTS.
A New Version OF an old story-How
u Governors OF the Carolines Ex-
changed Social Civilities.
Senator Zeb Vance gives the follow
Ing story Of the origin OF the expression
as TO what the Governor of North Caro-
lima said to the Governor of South
Caroline:
In the olden times OF our statehood,
before the steam engine bullied the
earth with thunderous stroke and re-
d9ced space to a mere matter Of time,
when whiskey with sugar was s cents
glass and all backs were turned as
that glass was filled, and when a white
man was considered as good as q negro
II he behaved himself, the Governor Of
North Carolina took 1t into his head one
one to pay a long promised visit to his
neighbor, the Governor of South Caro-
lima. So he put q clean shirt and q
pair OF socks in his saddle-bag, mount
ed his horse and rode away through
the pine forests toward the south.
Diligently following his nose in this
direction he came In due time to the
he was received with'all the honors of
genuine Southern hospitality. When
asked how he felt his characteristic
reply was, THANK you, Governor, /
am tired, sleepy, hungry and SOBER"
The host cordially assured him that he
could remedy all these.
Next day dinner was served at IL
o'clock as the horn blew for the hands
to come in. After If was over the two
Governors retired to the shade of the
long back porch, where corncob pipes,
with long twists Of home grown tobacco
awaited them.
reclining on easy bottom rockers, they
lolled and smoked and talked the hours
away. BetwiXt the twain, on the floor,
sat a Drumming pitcher of apple toddy,
with the mellow, roasted fruit impu-
IDENTIFY floating on the surface of the
divine tipple. From time to time this
aided and enlivened the conversation.
| They talked of the comparative ex-
c%ellences and advantages of their re-
spective states, of the price of cotton,
of horse raising and runaway, negroes
as they talked they smoked, and as they
smoked they drank. They specialized
they pledged eternal friendship to each
other personally, and vowed to pre-.
serve all neighborly courtesies between
the two Carolina States forever and
ever, amen Now and then they
would doze in their easy chairs under
the mellow influence of their happy
surroundings, and on waking up would
Indignantly deny having been asleep
and q k another drink to prove theil
wakefulness. And thus things went
on.
Now it happened that the Governor
OF South Carolina had u wife-as al
frNNH Enxrn,t,0rn cho,,1l LD, A.
principle of the old maxim that he
who aspires to govern should first learn
to obey-and her name was Betsy
Jane. She we'll knew the failing o.
her Governor and she easily guessed
that h visiting Governor was tarred
with the same stick. Quietly watching
proceedings she at length concluded
that these two old cocks were about as
full as they could we'll hold withou,
stopping over, and it was time to stop
Watching her opportunity during q
rather protracted doze, she slipped
away the pitcher, still half full, an6
inserted in its place a piggin of COO.
spring water with q clear, yellow
gourd hanging on the handle. But the
instincts Of nature are infallible
Though sound asleep the Governor OF
North Carolina felt that something
was wrong-a lack of spirit as it were
every nerve in him cried out agains,
the presence of a hostile element, and
he awoke. His perturbed soul had NO,
deceived him. The pitcher of todd,
was gone. He Immediately awakened
his host, who c~ourteously inquired
What Is the matter ?"
Don't you see what is the matter p
said the guest, looking Indignantly al
s the plg ebgins and mad the { go Sa;d -, Indeed indie
tressed host. "Pleaseutell me what is
the matter, my dear Governor" "The
devil you say? Nothing wrong, in,
deed L go to sleep with q pitcher OF
toddy before me, / wake up and find
piggin of spring water, and theuGover.
nor OF South Carolina tells me in his
W house that he sees nothing wrong
in that Well, we'll All l have tC
say, sir" said the Governor of North
Carolina, rising with a very great but
rather unsteady dignity, SIS that it is
q damned long time between drinks
Oh" said the Governor of South
Carolina, as the situation flashed on
him, 81 see; that's Betsy Jane. She
means stop, and we're done for to-day.
I'm sorry can't bring that pitcher back.
l humbly beg your pardon, Governor,
but maybe there's Il Betsy Jane at your
house and maybe you know how 1t is
yourself" The offended dignity of the
Governor of North Carolina dissolved
slowly into a genial smile Of intelligent
comprehension. and, sOlemnly working
one eye, he fell-either upon tho mock
of his host or upon the porch floor,
tradition does no say which-exclaim.
ing, You bet, old boy (; you bet"
And that's how it came about
Throughout all that Southern land
tradition has wickedly repeated and
kept alive the saying of the Governor
of North Carolina as a convenient
mode of Jogging the memory or stimu-
iating the tagging hospitality of a
host, but has failed to embalm in
human memory the righteous prudence
and wifely virtues of Betsey Jane, the
spouse of the Governor of South Caro-
lima.
For near on to a hundred years the
saying has been a faithful one,a and is
worthy of all acceptation in our coun-
try.--that Is to say, it has been faith
fully repeated all that time, and any
thing offered in response thereto has
been universally accepted, either
straight or with sugar.
-%A-
STARTED IN FIRST.-"Maria," he
said. as he entered the house, speak
ing before his wife had time to say O.
word, this house is in an awful condi-
tion."