The San Francisco call., 1896-09-22

means something fantastically curld or
twisted, as to make curlicue with pen, or
cut a curlicue while skating on the ice.
Murray's, the latest English dictionary now
in course OF publication in parts, says:
"Curlicue, a fantastic curl or twist; to clt up
curiicues, in the United States is common for
Maitland in his dictionary OF American
slang says that the word means fantastic
ornament
Barrere, in "Slang, Jargon and Can't" saTs
that the word is an Americanism and that the
old words carle-cat or carlf-cat male cat or
kitten may have Influenced the formation OF
curlicues.
Bartlett, in "Dictionary of fAmerieanisnls,"
says the word means boy'sh tricks, and thai TO
cut up carlicues is to cut up capers de says
tits made up from curly ana cue, or pernsPs a
corruption of the French carearole or the Span
ish carcarol; or comparatively cavort, trans
position made from cuvert.
"salIy," says I, "will you take me for better OF
This put her to considering, and gave flourish
ing about the room ard cut curly cue Win & Mg
right foot. much as TO say "1aKe your own
time."-McCiintocks Tales.
alt is generally supposed that nature is perfec-
ton in ali her works except when she gets odd
freaks in her head and cuts up carlicues by way
of experiment."-Dows sermons, vol. ILL., 40
PENT Up UrIcA-G. F. H., City. The follow.
Ing at the head of the Californian:
No pent-up Utica contracts our powers,
But the whole unbounded continent Is ours
Was stolen and altered from Jonathan NJ.
who lived from 174S to 1908 His lines were:
Nopent-up Utica contracts your powers,
But the whole boundless continent is yours.
The lines by Sewall occur in an epilogue he
wrote Tor the tragedy of ''Cato," by Joseph
Addison, famous English essayist and dram
atist when the play was produced in the Bow
street Theater, IN Portsmouth, n. H., IIIS.
The lines placed at the head of the Californian
had reference to the great opportunities open
ing before the newly ACQUIRED American terri
tory. To be better unders TODD it may be well to
give some idea upon which the play of "Cato"
was founded. Utica was q city in Northern
Africa the adjective .'pent up" is merely
comparative and poetic, for Utica was, during
the time OF its prosperity, large and impor-
tant city. IL was at first an ally of Carthage
in the wars between that city and Rome but
subsequently prepared to submit to Roman
power After Carthage had been subdued a
part of its territory given to Utica,
and the latter city was made the resi-
dence of the Roman Governor During
Marcus Portius Cato, Cato the Young
er, a noble Roman commander, who had
made every possible effort 10 prevent the war,
had joined the side of Pompey, fearing Cesar
as the greater tyrant Pompey took refuge in
Africa, whittier Cato went to join him with a
small army, but before he reached there Pom
pey had been assass1nated. Soon after the
army of Pompey was defeated by C@sar's
troops at Thapsus. That was in the spring of
the year 46 before Christ Cato took refuge
with his force in Utica, which was the only
city which still held out against Caesar, but
when it became known that the conqueror's
army was on its way against the city also, the
Uticans refused to risk utter des struction by
further resistance, and Catos eloquence was
powerless to persuade them to hold out
against the enemy. Cato sent an embassy
to make terms with Caesar for the surrender of
the city and troops within 1t, but he, rather
than fail into the hands OF the conqueror, re-
solved to die, and after spending the night in
reading Plato's PhRdo, committed suicide by
stabbIng himself in the breast.