Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-09-02

SSOAA1AkoyS
Of the acreage, which. at 4,7On,OOO, was
nearly q million too large.-BismarcA
Tribune.
Congressman Aliens Stories.
Washington Special Chicago Times
Herald. The entertainer Of the house
Of representatives is John M. Allen ot
Tupelo, Miss. He is a serious faced
man with 9 black mustache, which
droops atSthe ends, and large, melan.
choly dark eyes. That is Allen at rest
When he talks his mustache curves
with an engaging smile, and his eyes
CLEAN with mirth. That is to say,
when he is on a peace basis. There
are. occasions when an injustice has
been attempted on Mississippi that the
mouth setsslike iron and the soft, sad
eyes blaze like headlights. At such
times it is we'll to give the Mississipian
the right of the thoroughfare. Mem,
bers' seats are never vacant when Allen
is due to speak. for, as I i have said, he
is an entertainer. He is u practical
orator. and relieves the dreariness OF
argument with anecdotes. The other
dag, while opposing a proposition from
the New York dairy district to add q
tri weekly four ounces of cheese to q
soldiers ration, Mr.. Allen, Who claims
eminence as the only Confederate pri.
vate who survived the war, contributed
q series of rebellion "reminiscences to
gladden. the pages of the Record. He
offers to make ono of n company OF
congressman to 60 to the front under
command of General Grosvenor. 81
make this offer in good faith" he said,
and desire no commission. I want
to serve in the same capacity / filled
in the last war, to prove that I can
fight as we'll under Old Glory as ]
fought against it.
Il don't say l won't be frightened
he continued, lapsing into the soft
southern accent which gives a charm
to his stories. Il was always pretty
much scared up when l went into an
engagement, bnt I usually stayed it
out. I remember once myself an COM
rade vas lynn behind a nice pile of
rails. Gentlemen, I have long re-
membered that as about the. handsom-
est pile of rails I eyer noticed in the
southland. It was comfortable and it
was picturesque. Although the bullets
were whining over our heads and an
occasional cannon ball would go past
with a rush an a roar, a lark perched
in the tree above US sang sweetly. Ny
friend looked up to it choked with
emotion.
"Ah, little bird,' he said, EFF I had yo'
wings I wouldn't be settin' round yere
singin'. I'd be in good old Mississippi
befo' night
"But about this cheese ration" he
said, returning to his argument; Il am
dubious about cheese keeping we'll in
the tropics. It recalls a "reminiscences
Of my youth. One day a negro was
projecting around the grocery store at
the cross roads and discovered three
dozen boxes of axle grease. The lubri-
cant in such packages was a novelty,
and David, after prying off the cover
of one, determined its identity
Whats dem lii brown cheeses yuf.
boss?' he asked the proprietor.
They're with two bits each, Dave
I'm lowin'I take one,' he said, dig
ging up Is cents. 4 suppose yo' give a
POI man a few crackers to eat dat
cheese wid?'
"sCertingly, Dave; take all yo' want,
replied the humane storekeeper.
"Dave retired with his box of axle
grease and q handful of crackers to the
rear of the store. He took out his
jack-knife. took q circular cut out of
the. middle of the grease and spread it
on a cracker. It required a powerful
effort but the niger put the last OF
the box into eventual circulation.
Niggrrs are economical that way, aud
don't like to waste anything that can
be eaten.
"'How did the cheese go. Dave?' in.
CURED the s%torekeeper.
swell, boss replied the niger, dat
cheese wa suttingly cheap enough; l
kain's mex no complainin' on de price,
but hit was sholy de mos ransomest
cheese I ever et.'"
In the course of his talk Mr.. Allen
as l have said, offered to make one Of
a company Of congressman to 60 to
Cuba under General Grosvenor. I'll
the war %isn'tended when we get there
he said, "the Spanish will stop fighting
as soon as they hear of our arrival.
II don'tfeel about this affair the way
a friend OF. mine does. A man here in
Washington asked him il he intended