Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-04
THE WRONG INGREDIENT.
Jim Had the Whisky and the Water
but His Mint Was q Poor Brand.


but His Mint Was q Poor Brand.
Jim Wood-that isn't his name, but it.
the next thing to it's a very popular off,
cial in one Of the executive departments,
and he knows a good thing when he sees
1t. But 1t has taken him a long time to
learn to know some of them.
The first time Jim put mint julep to his
lips he was thoroughly captivated by it.,
and the preparation of the seductive de-
coction was one of the things he set about
70 master He went often to the person he
selected as teacher, watching him mar
rowly as he mixed the ice, sugar and
whisky, and noticed just how much of the
mint he put in.
= keep some fine old whisky on my side
board, and I'll get some of that mint and
manufacture my own juleps." he thought.
he tried 1t, and it was a first-class sue
cess. Then he bethought him of the large
PACK yard at his. residence, up above r
street, and he wondered: why not have a
back door?'
Early in the spring he hired a bright
looking coiored boy to bring lot of roots
from mint bed that the boy knew of,
and. taking off his coat one fine spring
morning, he laid his mint bed off in squares
ana put in the roots in true landscape
gardener style. Then Jim took out his
whes the little green shoots began to APP
pear he was as happy as a boy with his
hrst pair Of red-topped boots Some
friends sent him case of Old Piper whis-
KY, but he wouldn't draw a cork. wait
TIL my mint is up in full leaf; then I'll in
vite in some friends and surprise them"
thought Jim.
Then the cats of the neighborhood began
10 oestow rather more attention on Jim's
premises than he thought there was any
pressing need of-holding caucuses and
conventions in his back yard every night
and between watching his mint in the day
Ilme ana shooing' away cats at night
Jim began to lose flesh and get irritable
FINALLY, the mint was large enough to use
and' gathering a generous handful one
evening. he took it into the house and
mixture was put together just as he had
seen his tutor down town do it many
times. but somehow it didn't seem to taste
quit right-the flavor was little off.
Perhaps the fault is in the whisky"
thought Jim; and he took nip of it with
out any frtlls. No, that was prime stuff
and Jim was worried. Then he went down
town and took another lesson at the bar
put the second attempt at home industry
was also failure; so he went out and
called in friend to consult with.
Go ahead and make a couple of juleps
now, and I'll try and see where the hitch
Is said his friend, as they were seated
in Jim's dining room; and Jim got his
handful of mint and placed it. with the
sugar and ice, on the table. While he was
getting the cork out of the bottle his
friend picked up sprig of mint, exam
med it critically moment. and then
tasted of 1t. Then he blurted out:
Thunder Jim! You can't make a mint
julep out of catnipv
''Cuss my stupidity" thought Jim the
next morning as he was turning his mint"
bed upside down with shovel; and even
the cats must have been Disguised with
him; for they LEFT him in a body, and now
they won't play in his back yard any more.